In Love With Two
by mAnGa ObSeSsEd PaNdA
Summary: Tadase? Ikuto? Just like all the other stories, Amu can't decide whether she likes Tadase or Ikuto. Amuto/Tadamu? Miru, Raichi, possible Kutau later on. My first fanfic, sorry if it stinks. Chapter 15 is finally up!
1. Chapter 1

+In Love with Two+

Panda (me): Hi everyone! Thank you for reading this!! I hope you enjoy it!

Yoru: She's trying to butter you up! DON'T LISTEN TO HER!!

Panda: Shut up Yoru! -hits Yoru on head- Miki! Take Yoru away!

Miki: -takes Yoru away from story- Bye!!

Panda: Good. Now where were we? Oh yeah…the disclaimer. I was going to make Yoru and Miki do that…oh well. AMU!!

Amu: What??

Panda: -sweetly- Do the disclaimer please?

Amu: Okay. Manga-obsessed panda doesn't own Shugo Chara. But she DOES have a weird name!! -runs away-

Panda: Whatever. ENJOY!! Please read and review!

Normal POV (I'll probably do it all in normal POV, unless you guys want me to change it to other ppls point of view? Tell me if you do!!)

Amu lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. All she could think about was Ikuto. But WHY?? _He's a perverted creep, who passes the time by annoying me_, she reasoned with herself. _I like TADASE-KUN, don't I??_ She quickly shook her head, trying to clear all thoughts of Ikuto away. It didn't work. Yes, he was perverted and annoying, but he made her blush and her heart beat faster in his presence. She scowled. _This would be a LOT easier if I didn't like Tadase-kun too,_ she thought grumpily. _I wish I could just forget one of them!!_

Meanwhile, Ikuto was doing pretty much the same thing in his room. Well, obviously not thinking of Tadase or himself :P!! But of AMU!! J He really liked her. Maybe, perhaps….loved? When he was with her, he felt happy and accepted. He loved her blushes, smiles, and her "cool and spicy" outer character she tried so desperately to maintain. It didn't matter to him what she was doing or how she was acting. He loved every bit of it. He wouldn't change anything about her.

Amu grimaced. She'd regret staying up this long by the time she had to go to school tomorrow. Or was it later today? Anyway, she couldn't decide! Tadase was adorable, and his cute charm was…..endearing. He was eager to please, and was also kind of weak, but he DID have a strong spirit. On the OTHER hand, Ikuto was older, smoother, more mysterious. He had saved her countless times. Somehow, Ikuto always knew where she was. "STALKER!!" she thought, randomly. Then she covered her mouth. Oops…she had said that out loud. She hoped no one had heard. No one barged into her room, demanding to know what was going on. She breathed out silently in relief. Then she heard, "Amu-chan." She turned. It was Miki, thank goodness.

"Amu-chan, what are you doing?" Miki stifled a yawn. "Why are you still awake?" Amu was silent, praying Miki would give up, go back to sleep, and forget everything if she didn't answer. No such lucky. Miki's eyes gleamed mischievously. She smirked. "Guy problems?" she asked, knowing there was a 95 chance she was right.

Bingo. Amu sighed. "Yes," she said resignedly. "I can relate," said Miki, matter-a-factly, thinking of the time she'd liked Yoru, Kiseki, and Daichi. Amu's eyes lit up and the possibility of Miki being an advisor to her. "Who…I mean…how did you figure out who was the right one?"

"I asked myself who makes me happy to be with, no matter what we're doing? Despite our differences," she said, eyes softening at the thought of Yoru. "The "one" is the person you love no matter what. The one you feel accepted with, no matter what you're doing or how you're acting. When you feel free to be yourself."

While Amu and Miki were having this conversation, Ikuto was wondering whether Amu liked him or not. _Does she like the Kiddy King?_ he questioned. _What do people see in Tadase anyway? He's cute and all, but in a little kid way. I doubt he'll EVER grow up._ His thoughts drifted back to Amu. Ahh…..she was so cute when she blushed, and when she tried cover up her embarrassment by insulting him. Okay, Ikuto admitted to himself,the insults weren't all that cute. But watching her get all flustered was. Her cheeks became darker than her hair when she was blushing. Did her blushing mean that she liked him too? But…..no, she blushed when she saw Tadase too. Heck, she had HEARTS in her eyes when Tadase talked to her. _What chance to I have?_ he pondered. _None, I guess. But that's never stopped me! _He shrugged. _I've never liked a girl that doesn't like me._ (A/N To be honest, he'd never really LIKED a girl, because Utau scared them off…) _But I guess I'll figure out what to do eventually._ Yawning, he turned and fell asleep.

Yoru, however, was having a hard time falling asleep. He kept getting in and out of his egg. He was restless. He looked at Ikuto. Good. He was asleep. He floated out the window and breathed in fresh air. Then he flew over to Amu's house.

Panda: That's all for now!! Yay! My first chapter DONE!

Miki: ….Yoru, what are you going to do??

Yoru: it's a SECRET!!

Panda: See you later! Please review! Criticism is accepted! And please tell me if I made a spelling or grammar error if it bothers you!. Oh and if you want me to do things in different POV's, tell me please! THANK YOU FOR READING!!


	2. Chapter 2

_Note: Reuploaded so that everything isn't underlined anymore. I hope this works._

Panda: Hi everyone! Thank you to the people who reviewed and put alerts on my story! I'm so grateful, and I'm glad you liked it! Most of you guys guessed that it was an Amuto story -sniff- yes you are right! I know, I gave it away when he was thinking about her. Oh well!

Yoru: HURRY UP. I want to know why I'm going to Miki's house, nya!

Miki: She doesn't own Shugo Chara! Because Peach-pit does!

Panda: I only wish I owned you guys. I LOVE YOU!

Yoru: -backs away-

Panda:…Enjoy! Here's a recap, just in case you forgot what happened in the last chapter.

**Recap**

_Yoru was restless. He looked at Ikuto. Good. He was asleep. He floated out the window and breathed in fresh air. Then he flew over to Amu's house._

Normal POV

Miki and Amu were finishing up their conversation when Yoru neared the house. Miki was about to crawl into her egg and sleep when she heard a tap on the window. She floated over and opened it. There stood…er….was Yoru.

"Yo."

Miki blinked. Was he a hallucination? Yoru noticed Miki looking spaced out and waved his hands/paws in front of her. "Hello?" he asked. Okay, so he WASN'T an illusion. Whatever.

"Hey," she said, a little bit shyly. "What's up?"

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to 'play' with you guys," he admitted.

Amu wondered, _Is this a sign that I should choose Ikuto?_ Out loud she asked," Did Ikuto send you?"

Yoru smirked. "Nope, he's sleeping like a baby. But you WISH he had a message for you, nya!"

Amu blushed. She hadn't realized it was that obvious! Oh well. "Whatever, Yoru," she said, dismissively. "Think what you like, it just may or may not be the truth."

Yoru winked at Miki. He gestured that Amu was CRAZY if she thought that he didn't know about Amu's crush on Ikuto. Miki smiled slightly in response, and blushed a deep pink. Lucky for her, it wasn't visible in the dark. Yoru noticed the small smile, but now blush, which made him frown a bit. _Barely any reaction from Miki_," he thought disappointedly. Because, obviously, she was the _real_ reason why he came over! Duh. But it looked like she didn't like him. He sighed silently and said, "Well, I have to go soon or Ikuto will be mad if he wakes up in the middle of the night and sees that I'm not there."

Miki giggled. "It's the middle of the night right NOW, silly! So you better hurry and go if you don't want him to catch you over here."

Yoru's face fell. Did she want him to go away?

"But," Miki added, shooting him a big smile, "You are welcome to come again anytime."

Yoru's heart did a little happy dance. She didn't hate him! "Maybe I'll take you up on that offer," Yoru replied, coolly…calmly.

_No evidence that he likes me, _thought Miki sadly. _Oh well, I'll get over it_. She heaved a sigh that matched Yoru's earlier one. Yoru turned to go and suddenly there was a tap on the window. _Boy this is déjà vu_," realized Amu, as Miki floated over to the window to open it for a second time that night. Then all thought stopped as she glanced at who had been at the window. It was Ikuto himself.

"Yoru…." Ikuto said, glaring at the cat chara.

Yoru jumped. "Umm….uh…I need to go to the bathroom, nya!" he stuttered, trying to skip a lecture.

"But charas don't need to…Oh! I'll show you where it is!" said Miki after figuring out what Yoru was up to. They rushed out of the room.

Amu's jaw dropped. "EHH?" she cried. "Shoot," she said quietly. "I'm going to wake up the entire house if I don't shut up." She glanced at Ikuto a bit timidly. "Um…" she tried to think of something to fill in the heavy silence between them. "Do charas really need to use the bathroom?" _That sounds so STUPID! _she thought, mentally hitting herself on her head.

No," replied Ikuto shortly. "They don't. Yoru was most likely trying to avoid a lecture from me."

Yoru, who was listening outside the door, turned to Miki next to him and said, "Darn, he figured me out, nya." Miki giggled. Yoru smiled, happy that he made Miki laugh. Miki noted the grin, which made her smile even wider. Pretty soon, they were beaming at each other like doofuses. (A/N: Is that even a word?)

Things weren't so happy with Amu and Ikuto. They were fighting about who knows WHAT. Unexpectedly, Ikuto began to tickle her.

"Stop Ikuto!" said Amu, between gasps of breath and quiet laughter.

"Stop tickling you? Where's the fun in that?"

She glared at him. "Pervert. It's the middle of the night. Go home."

He started to object by saying that he was fine where he was…but her frown made him stop. Seriously, if looks could kill, Ikuto would be long gone. But that didn't stop him. Naturally, he had to tease her again.

"Amu, you haven't blushed yet. That makes me sad," Ikuto said, mock pouting and smirking (which makes a very interesting expression, let me tell you).

Amu held her hands to her cheeks as they decided to do an impersonation of tomatoes again. _I hate my hormones for acting this way around Ikuto!_ thought Amu angrily. (A/N That's right Amu, blame your hormones…)

"Get. Out." she commanded forcefully.

_Darn, now she's annoyed with me…oh well. _"Amu," he drawled. "don't be so cold. It's not very cute you know." Ouch. There was her flaming glare again. Ikuto sighed. _What a waste_. "Yoru," he said. "I know you're outside the door. We're leaving."

Yoru scowled, but obeyed. He didn't want TWO lectures. "Nya, bye Miki!" he said. In a flash, he grabbed Miki's bag out of her hand.

"Give it back!" Miki lunged for her bag.

"You have to get it back yourself," said Yoru tauntingly, swinging the bag. Something fell out. Miki paled when she realized what it was. It was Kiseki's picture (from episode 30, when the Shugo Charas were having their athletics festival. When Ran won the contest, the prize was a picture of Kiseki. She didn't want it, so Miki took it). She tried to snatch it up before Yoru could see it. Not fast enough. Yoru's face darkened.

"Miki, you are a very good actress. You had me fooled," said Yoru coldly. "I really thought you liked me, not that prince."

"Yoru, wait!" cried Miki frantically. "That picture….it's all a big misunderstand-"

Yoru and Ikuto jumped onto the balcony. "Well, bye Amu," said Ikuto. Amu refused to look at him, even though her heart sped up when he said her name. But she did manage a small smile for him, which he saw. Then he jumped off the balcony.

"Bye….Ikuto," Amu whispered into the night. It felt so good to say his name. She smiled again

Miki, however, was blinking back tears. _I should have taken that stupid picture out long time ago_, she thought miserably. "Good night, Amu-chan," she muttered, crawling into her egg.

"Mmm….'night Miki," replied Amu dreamily, whose head was filled with thoughts of Ikuto.

_At least one of us is happy_, grumbled Miki silently. _Why did things turn out like this? I don't like Kiseki, I like Yoru!_ Miki sniffled quietly. Thank God everyone was asleep. She replayed the scene over and over, imagining Yoru's hurt face and his icy words," You're a very good actress. You had me fooled. I really thought you liked me." It broke her heart again and again. _Don't you see, Yoru? I DO like you. Only you, _she thought desperately, as tears slid down her cheeks. She didn't bother to wipe them

_Boys don't cry_, Yoru told himself sternly. _I won't cry, I WON'T_. But ARGH. Thoughts of Miki danced through his head.

_Nya, I thought she liked me_, he thought sadly. _I really did. It hurts…..but why?_ pondered Yoru. _I never knew anything could hurt this much. Is it the cat part of me? Am I craving milk?_ Yoru shook his head. _Nah, I had milk a couple hours ago._

And then he randomly realized that the word "milk," if you take out the 'i' and add an 'i' to the end, it made "Miki." Which made him hurt even more. He glared at the mental image of Miki. WHY WAS SHE SO CUTE? And it wasn't just her looks. Her personality, blunt, yet sensitive were adorable too. Her serious, but playfully twinkling eyes were hard to resist. Her big pleading looks made him melt. He'd give up anything for her. Even catnip (which, for him, was saying a lot)! But she didn't want him.

_She likes that wanna-be king_, Yoru thought, his face contorted in disgust. _What does Miki SEE In him? He's so bossy and obnoxious, and high-and-mighty, and conceited! _With those friendly thoughts in his mind, he fell fast asleep

Panda: Well, that's all for now! What did you think? Please review! It's nice to know what you guys think, even if you don't like it! Criticism accepted!

Yoru and Miki: We don't like it

Panda: ….Yeah, sorry about that. I love you guys! Miru forever!

Yoru and Miki: …..

Amu: How come I was barely in this chapter?

Ikuto: YOU weren't in this chapter? What about ME? I'm everyone's favorite character; I should be in here more! -Pouts-

Panda: Whatever, maybe I'll put more of you in the next chapter. Bye, see you next time! I hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

Panda: Hey everyone! Sorry for not updating, I was at camp. Thank you to all those people that reviewed and put alerts on my story. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Miki and Yoru: …..we're still not talking to you

Panda: Oh right. Sorry about that. Also, to clear some things up: I guess I confused some of you with the underlining of the last chapter. I'm sorry; I have NO idea why that happened. I _reuploaded it, though, so it should be okay now_. And if this is underlined, I'm sorry again. About the whole Miki and Yoru thing…..I was implying by them smiling and laughing with each other that they liked each other even if they didn't say anything. I'm sorry to everyone that thought it made no sense. SORRY!

Kiseki: She doesn't own Shugo Chara! (thank God) Peach-Pit does…-

Panda: where did YOU come from?

Kiseki:-but I will own it once I rule the world! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Panda: Uh…sorry about that too. Enjoy! Please review!

_**Recap:**_

_Uh…pretty much Yoru went to Miki's house, Ikuto found him, and teased Amu while he was there….Miki and Yoru had fun together …but then Yoru found Kiseki's picture in Miki's bag…yeah._

_+In Love With Two+_

_Chapter 3_

_Amu opened her eyes and stretched her arms when she woke up the next morning. School. Great. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Though she looked a bit tired, she had a pinkish tinge in her cheeks, and her eyes were bright and alert, her entire face glowing. Is this because I'm in love?_ wondered Amu. Humming happily, she got ready for school. Ran and Su popped out of their eggs as soon as they woke up, eager to start the day and full of energy. Miki pretended she was still asleep. _That way, no one will bother me, or ask what's wrong,_ she reasoned. She sulked in her egg, dozing and dreaming about Yoru, as Amu walked to school.

"Hinamori-san!"

"Amu-chii!"

"Joker."

"Amu-chan," called out the other guardians

"Tadase-kun! Yaya! Class Rep! Rima! WHAT?" asked Amu, wondering what could be so important that they ALL needed to call her. But she smiled, because she was in a good mood, and not really all that mad. Tadase smiled back. _Kyaaaa….Tadase-kun's smile is so cute!_ thought Amu. She felt her heart race a little. _But…didn't I figure out that I like Ikuto?_ she wondered alarmingly. _So why am I thinking about Tadase?_

"Ah, Hinamori-san, we wanted to tell you that there's been a sudden decrease in X-eggs." Tadase smiled again.

_Oh, that is SO cute!_ thought Amu. _SNAP OUT OF IT, AMU!_

"We believe it's because of you!" continued Tadase. "We think that Hoshina Utau became frustrated when you kept healing the X-eggs, and is working on a new plan. This means we have to be extra careful." He frowned. Amu swooned. Even THAT was adorable. "But for now, we're doing better than ever!" He beamed at her. How could she resist it?

She grinned. "It's NOT just because of me. It's because of you guys, too!" she said. Then she realized other students were watching them in interest and quickly added coolly, "That sounds fine."

Yaya giggled. "Amu-chii, you don't have to use that character with US!"

Rima murmured, "Especially since we know that your would-be-self is Ran."

Amu put her hands up. "Okay, you guys caught me. I just want to maintain my status as a lone wolf," she said giggling. "But since you guys can see right through me it's pointless. So to speak," she added because Tadase and Kairi and some of the surrounding guys were giving her strange looks. "I meant through my outer CHARACTER, jeez you guys have perverted minds," she grumbled, lowering her voice, cheeks pink. Tadase blushed and Kairi coughed uncomfortably. The bell rang just then, luckily for them.

"Saved by the bell," she said, cocking her head, giving them a wry smile.

"See you," she, Tadase, and Rima said to the younger guardians.

"Bye," they replied.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, if you don't count the boys in the Star Class fainting because Rima actually said something during class (something that wasn't a command or a sarcastic comment). The guardian meeting was boring.

_There's nothing to do,_ thought Amu. She was SO bored. Tadase was reviewing papers on the X-egg decrease. Kairi was writing about and researching boring stuff that no one was interested in, as usual. Yaya was sleeping.

_Yaya has the right idea_ smirked Amu. Rima was calmly sipping her tea daintily, looking more bored than usual. Tadase looked up, and, realizing that no one was paying attention, said the words everyone except Kairi had been longing to hear (no, it's not "Hinamori-san, will you go out with me?"): "Meeting over."

Yaya woke up just in time to hear that.

"YES!" she cried, racing out of the garden.

"Why is she so happy to leave, Amu-chan?" inquired Rima, after drinking her last sip of tea (she had had 5 cups. That's how boring it was).

"Um…." Amu said thoughtfully. "Oh yeah, Yaya got Kukai to play with her today." (NOT a date. Kukai is like a big brother to Yaya.)

"Ah," replied Rima, absentmindedly glancing at her watch. Suddenly, she bolted from the garden. "I'm late!" she called as an explanation to Amu. Tadase gave Amu a questioning look.

"Her parents pick her up, and she doesn't like to keep them waiting," she explained.

"Joker, King," said Kairi, "I must be leaving. I have some more research to do." Then he left, like the other guardians.

"Hinamori-san," said Tadase, hesitantly. "May I have the honor of escorting you out?"

Amu giggled at his formal talk and thought how cute he looked. She nodded shyly. As they walked together, Amu noticed that Kiseki seemed to be giving Tadase pointers. _About what?_ she wondered. _What could Kiseki possibly give Tadase pointers on, except, perhaps, ruling the world?_ They soon reached the spot where they had to part. Tadase stood there for a moment and turned toward Amu. He cleared his throat and looked at her.

"Hinamori-san, would you please go out with me tomorrow?"

Amu blinked. "Eh?" was all she could say. Tadase was asking her out! Wasn't this the moment she had been waiting for? Amu took a deep breath and…

"Finally got the courage to ask her out, Kiddy King?" a familiar voice asked. "Took you long enough."

Amu instantly blushed. "I…I..Ik.."she stammered.

"TSUKIYOMI IKUTO!" shouted Tadase, furiously.

"Yo."

"…What are you doing here?"

"I came to tell you that Amu can't go out with you tomorrow." Ikuto smirked. "I'm taking her on a date already."

Tadase glanced at Amu. "is this true, Hinamori-san? Are you going out with this thieving cat?"

Amu blushed. "No, he's just-" She was cut off by Ikuto.

"Well, see you, Kiddy King!" Immediately hi cat ears and tail appeared. He took Amu's hand and jumped onto a nearby building or something.

"Tadase-kun…" Amu called faintly. Once they had gotten far enough from Tadase, Ikuto let go of her hand. He stared at Amu, as if trying to read her mind. Amu turned red and looked away.

Ran popped out of her egg and whispered into Amu's ear, "That's the third time you've blushed in the last 10 minutes!" Amu gave the little cheerleader a frown and told her to go back into her egg. Ikuto's ears perked up when he heard that.

"So…you blush a lot when you see me?" he asked, sounding interested, but only mildly.

Amu blushed AGAIN. "No," she answered coolly, "I blush when I feel like it.

"

"Do you blush when Tadase talks to you?"

Actually come to think of it….. "No, not anymore," Amu said, before she realized what that meant. Trying to hide her enlightenment on her love life, she cried frantically, "Why do YOU care?"

Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Because I love you!"

Amu stared at him, trying to figure out if he was lying or not. She stepped towards him. Closer…closer…She was right in front of him. She cupped her hand under his chin, tilted her head to look at him and then….

She slapped him. "BAKA! Stop playing with my feelings!" she yelled. "Stop teasing me and trying to lead me on. It's ANNOYING." Then she added, almost inaudible to any normal person (obviously Ikuto could hear, but she forgot that he was a cat…) "You get my hopes up. And it hurts when I realize that you're just kidding." Then more clearly, she shouted, "I HATE YOU!" Amu ran off, unable to keep back tears, and unwilling to show them to Ikuto.

He watched her run. He could've easily caught up with her. But he didn't want to. He had made such a fool of himself and had made her hurt. _What is WRONG with me?_ Ikuto asked himself. _I can't even get my feelings across clearly to the girl I like. And I know it's my fault. But still…!_

"Yoru," he said, in an effort to take his mind off of Amu.

"Nya?" asked Yoru, a bit dejectedly.

"How are you and Miki?"

Yoru glowered at him. "Not good. I found a picture of Tadase's Shugo Chara in her bag."

"…Why were you looking in her bag?"

"I wasn't! I accidentally turned it upside down and it fell out. And DON'T lecture me on snooping in other people's stuff. You do it all the time!"

"Yeah but…never mind. I'm sorry I ever mentioned Miki."

Yoru mumbled something and went back into his egg, which was unusual because Yoru usually stayed out all day. _This Miki thing must really be hurting him_, decided Ikuto. _Otherwise he'd be complaining or acting normal and talking a lot. I'm so used to Yoru talking form me, _**I**_ barely talk anymore. Sad. _Ikuto almost smiled

Amu kept running. She had no idea where she was going.

"Why did I run?" she asked out loud, between sobs and gasps of air.

"You thought he was teasing you again," said Ran helpfully.

"But he could've been serious, desu," added Su. "you don't really know.

Both of the charas waited for Miki to add one of her blunt comments, something about how Ikuto was not worth it. But there was silence

"Miki?" Nothing.

"MIKI!" screamed Eru, who, until a moment ago, had been dozing.

Miki cautiously opened her egg a crack, just so she could barely see them. "What?" she grumbled. She didn't want the others to see her. Not like this. The blunt, matter-a-fact Miki, who thought tears were pointless wasn't there. Just a red-eyed, heartbroken chara, with tried trails of tears down her cheeks. Something none of them had never seen, and HOPEFULLY wouldn't EVER see. Lucky for her, the other charas seemed to sense her unhappiness and backed off. Even Eru, amazingly enough. But Amu wouldn't.

"Miki, I REALLY need your help!" she pleaded. "You're the only one who's liked someone…please give me advice!"

Miki laughed humorlessly. "Me? Give advice? It probably wouldn't do you any good." she said scornfully. "If you do things YOUR way, you won't end up like me. Trust me. Don't ask for my advice. It won't help, and it will only make things WORSE." Miki was frustrated and hurt. In a moment of impulsive, self-righteous anger, she cried," You'll end up like THIS!" and broke out of her shell.

The others stared at her, as she stood there, looking so un Miki-like, so out of character. Amu's eyes widened. "Oh…I'm so STUPID!" she groaned. "I'm sorry I didn't notice, Miki. I was way too focused on myself." She looked at her little blue (if you'll pardon the pun!) chara, who was being hugged by the others. Amu enveloped all of them in a hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

"It's ok," assured Miki. But her voice was flat and emotionless, as if crying about Yoru had sucked all of the feeling out of her.

"If you want to talk about it…" began Amu a bit uncertainly.

"Yeah! Do you want us to listen, desu?" asked Su sweetly.

"It might help," was Ran's contribution

"Love is my specialty!" said Eru.

"Thanks, but can we just go home." It wasn't even a question. Miki seemed incapable of saying anything with inflections or feeling. Just monotone. It hurt the others to see her this way, so they went home without another word.

Once they were there, Su asked Miki tentatively, "Miki, you don't have to answer but…How do you feel right now?"

Miki thought for a moment and replied (actually with emotion, believe it or not), "It feels like my heart is being squeezed so much, the pain is indescribable. No words can be used, you can only experience it for yourself. Like no one understands what I'm going through." Her eyes started to tear up again. Su hurried to find a handkerchief.

"Here, desu!"

Miki took it and said in a small voice, "Thanks. And also thank you for asking me how I felt."

Su looked confused.

"It made me think about what was really hurting," Miki explained, smiling a sad smile. "The thing is, I can only blame myself. It's my fault; I shouldn't have kept that picture of Kiseki."

Ran also looked confused. Then realization dawned on her. "Oh…that picture from the athletics festival? The one I won?"

Miki nodded. "Yup. Yoru found it and…" she shrugged. "um…can I be alone?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she shut herself into her egg again. The other charas did normal stuff while avoiding Miki's egg. There was an occasional, "Poor Miki…" but no big discussion about her. They assumed she would tell them more when she felt like it.

Amu was moping. Yes, she was incredibly sad for Miki. But what was SHE going to do about IKUTO? _Miki was my only hope_, she thought. Instantly, she felt ashamed. _How could I be so SELFISH? _Miki was in the midst of a broken heart, and all she could do was think about her problem. She sighed. _I'll figure it out myself_, she thought firmly. _I can't ALWAYS rely on my charas_.

So the rest of the day was quiet, filled with thoughts of Miki (or, in Miki's case, Yoru) and her problem. All in all, it was a pretty unexciting day, disregarding the whole Ikuto scene and Miki's outburst. That night, however, was a different story

The house was quiet. No one was awake-who would be, at this hour?- except a certain chara. Her gaze darted everywhere. Would anyone catch her? She silently opened her egg and crept through the window. She sighed in a cool lungful of fresh air. Her blue eyes looked back at the house for a moment. Then Miki disappeared into the night.

Yoru glanced guiltily at Ikuto's sleeping form. Would he wake up and get mad at him for leaving again? But he couldn't sleep. He needed time to sort things out. He whispered a silent, "I'm sorry," as he flew out the window hoping for all it was worth that Ikuto would remain asleep.

Panda: And that's the end of this chapter! What did you think?

Yoru: I didn't like it.

Miki: Me neither.

Panda: I wasn't asking you two! I'm sorry, I don't know what I'll do next time, but maybe you'll like the next chapter better?

Miki and Yoru: Maybe….

Ikuto: I liked it. Sort of. I mean, I was in it more this time. But Amu and I got in a fight…

Amu: -sticks out tongue- and whose fault was THAT?

Ikuto: The Kiddy king's, duh!

Tadase: I heard that!

Panda: Shut up, all of you. I will see you guys next time! I love you all!

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Panda: Hello everyone! I'm BACK!

Yoru: Finally.

Miki: Took you long enough

Panda: Be quiet. Anyway I'd like to thank Animecherryblossem33, Shiro-Kitsune8, Anime-Addict25, KawaiiDarkAngel33, mew luchia, KeikoHayasaka, KUKAIxAMU 4Eva, and all those anonymous people for reviewing!

I'd also like to thank MayMay080, Sapphirazx, lollipopkid, Rainpool's Loyalty, BattiHatti, friedchips, Lina820, nenehallaback, FruitsBasketKisa, Japanese Gothic Vampire Ninja, Animecherryblossem33, KawaiiDarkAngel33, mew luchia, KeikoHayasaka, Hikari no Kokoro, and KUKAIxAMU 4eva, for 1) putting an alert on me, 2) putting an alert on my story, 3) Favoriting my story, or 4) favoriting me as an author. THANK YOU PEOPLE!

Yoru: That's how popular I am.

Panda…..whatever. You DO realize that I AM the author of this story, and I could make you and Miki never get together

Yoru: -panics- uh…I was kidding?

Panda: So was I. Because the readers would never forgive me if I didn't get you two together. But that doesn't mean you guys are going to get a happy ending right away….

Miki: You haven't tortured us enough?

Panda: -cheerfully- Nope! I love you guys, you know that!

Ran: -pops out of nowhere- She doesn't own Shugo Chara because Peach-Pit does! Please review and enjoy!

Ikuto: Dang, the intro took awhile this time…..

Amu: Seriously….

**Recap**

_The house was quiet. No one was awake-who would be, at this hour?- except a certain chara. Her gaze darted everywhere. Would anyone catch her? She silently opened her egg and crept through the window. She sighed in a cool lungful of fresh air. Her blue eyes looked back at the house for a moment. Then Miki disappeared into the night._

_Yoru glanced guiltily at Ikuto's sleeping form. Would he wake up and get mad at him for leaving again? But he couldn't sleep. He needed time to sort things out. He whispered a silent, "I'm sorry," as he flew out the window hoping for all it was worth that Ikuto would remain asleep._

+In love with two, Chapter 4+

Normal POV (as usual)

Miki looked around her. She sighed in the fresh air as she floated around the park. _Do I even know where I'm going?_ she wondered sleepily. Suddenly a shadow passed over her. She looked up. It was Yoru.

Yoru was floating aimlessly when he passed by the park. He decided to go in, just because. He heard a sound underneath him. He looked into the eyes of Miki.

"Yoru!"

"Miki…?" he asked, stunned, forgetting he was mad at her. "What…are you doing here, nya?"

"I…couldn't sleep. And also.." she hesitated. "I hoped you would be out here," she admitted quietly.

Yoru stared at her, speechless.

"I…wanted to apologize…..about the picture," she rushed on, leaving no room for Yoru to interrupt. "I should've thrown it away awhile ago, but I forgot about it and…that's how you found it. I'm really sorry, and I'll understand if you hate me…" She was rambling now.

Yoru was still dumbfounded, but snapped out of it. "No," Yoru interrupted her. "I don't hate you. And…I forgive you." _Is that what I'm supposed to say?_ He wondered. _How should I know? I'm a CAT_.

Miki smiled. _He forgives me. YES! Now if only I could…_she thought, Opening her mouth, she let out the words from her heart. "Yoru…I really like you." There. She said it. She flinched, waiting for his reaction. He just stared at her. _Oh no…_Miki thought. _He doesn't feel the same way._ She fought back tears as she said in a false cheery tone, "Well, I better get going before Amu-chan realizes I'm gone!"

Yoru resembled a fish as he heard the words in slow-mo…_I…really…like…you…_He looked up right as she was floating away.

"Miki!" he called urgently. "Wait!"

She stopped, dreading what he had to say. Slowly she turned. "Yes?" she asked, trying to conceal her emotions.

"I…really like you too."

Her cheeks blushed, and Miki grinned hugely. Yoru blushed too, and he also bore a large smile.

"Really? Truly?" she asked, just to make sure.

"Yes!" he affirmed, as he floated closer toward her. "I'll prove it." With that, he flew even closer and kissed her cheek gently. She giggled and hugged him. They probably could have stayed like that forever except their owners found them (A/N: Darn! Why did the author have to bring them in…oh wait…that's me. Oh well)

"MIKI!"

"Yoru."

"I woke up and you weren't there. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

"Yoru, I thought that after last night you wouldn't leave without telling me." He flicked his chara's forehead. "Your punishment."

The owners of the two runaway charas stared at each other and then looked away. Amu was blushing as she remembered the words Ikuto had said earlier. Ikuto sighed. This was all his fault, but he couldn't really do anything to help it. He looked at the two love-struck charas, who were currently clutching each other like they wouldn't ever see each other again.

"Amu, be nice. They're in love, can't you see?"

Miki and Yoru immediately blushed identical blushes.

Amu sighed and smiled. "It WOULD be a crime to stand in between true love. However," she gave Miki a mock frown, "You have to tell me before you leave. But I'm not going to keep you from seeing Yoru."

Miki squealed (so un-Miki-like, I know) and hugged Yoru again. Yoru grinned, and mouthed, "Thank you," to Ikuto, who smiled a half smile back.

Now Miki wanted to play matchmaker. After all, Amu had allowed her to get together with Yoru. She wanted the same for Amu and Ikuto. Eyes twinkling, she quietly whispered her plan to Yoru. He nodded.

"We're tired. We're going to sleep," said Miki, fake yawning.

"Yeah, nya. Bye Miki!"

She waved goodbye and they both popped into their eggs, pretending to sleep.

Amu fidgeted. What was Miki doing? All at once, Amu and Ikuto toward each other, opened their mouths….and 15 X-eggs appeared. Amu's eyes widened.

"RAN!" she called urgently

"Yes!" answered the cheerful girl, appearing before Amu

"My own heart…UNLOCK!"

Pink ribbons enveloped Amu, as she changed into Amulet heart. Her hair grew as hearts appeared out of nowhere and she was suddenly in a pink cheerleader outfit. She smiled and said, "Character Transformation: Amulet Heart!" as she pumped her fist in the air.

"Yoru," said Ikuto. "My own heart, Unlock." (Anyone who thinks that he doesn't say that, has not seen episode 42. Sorry, I guess that's a spoiler?)

Music notes surrounded him. "Character Transformation: Black Lynx."

The X-eggs headed straight for them. Ikuto stepped in front of Amu and deflected them with his claws (Like he always does!). But one hit him and knocked the wind out of him. As he doubled over, the eggs headed toward Amu again. She screamed as they came closer…even closer…She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact. She screamed.

"HOLY COW!" Oops…I meant to say, "HOLY CROWN!"

She gasped. Tadase-kun had saved her! Ikuto scowled. _Stupid Kiddy King_.

"Are you ok, Hinamori-san?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes…thank you Tadase-kun," she said. Tadase cared about her! She waited for her heart to race, for read to flood her cheeks. Nothing.

Ikuto interrupted her inner monologue. "Amu…The X-eggs…"

She snapped back to reality. "Right!" He somehow distracted the X-eggs (A/N: Yes, I am too lazy to go through the entire tactic. Sorry) and succeeded in keeping them in one clump.

"Negative Heart…" She took a deep breath. "Lock on!" she cried, making a heart with her fingers. "Open Heart!"

"Good job, Amu," said Ikuto

She blushed and murmured, "Thanks."

Tadase stood awkwardly between them, glancing back and forth. Then he came to his senses.

"Hinamori-san! I need to talk to you," he said, grabbing Amu's hand, pulling her away from Ikuto. "Without the cat thief present."

Ikuto rolled his eyes as Amu went deeper into the park with Tadase. Whatever. He didn't care what Tadase said. But Amu….He followed them silently

Amu blinked confusedly. _What's all this about?_ "Yes, Tadase-kun? What did you want to talk to me about?"

Tadase turned pink as he took her other hand in his. "Hinamori-san…" he took a deep breath. "I love you!"

Amu gasped (who wouldn't, if a guy you liked, who earlier said that he was in love with you would-be-self confessed?).

"I know that I told you that I liked Amulet Heart. But…as I got to know you and your personality…all of them… I realized that I loved every part of you." He swallowed hard. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Amu was dumbfounded. Ikuto's tail twitched. What would her answer be?

"Tadase…kun…" she murmured. His eyes were big and pleading. _How can I reject a face like that?_ she distressed. She sighed. She couldn't put it off anymore. Ikuto waited.

"Tadase-kun…I really like you."

Tadase's eyes brightened.

Then she finished her thought. "But as a friends."

His face fell.

"I'm really sorry. Can we just be friends?"

Tadase nodded numbly, forcing a smile. "Good night, Hinamori-san."

She nodded as he left. She sighed again, and turned to go. She whirled right into Ikuto. He looked at her, a bit shocked at her answer. She stared defiantly into his eyes.

"What?" she asked

He glanced at her. "Why did you reject the Kiddy King? He's your prince, isn't he?"

Amu looked down and mumbled, "He wouldn't like it if you called him that."

Ikuto glared at her. "You know what I mean. Why did you refuse him?"

"I…seriously thought that he was my Prince Charming. But I…I suppose I liked the person that I thought he was. He always seemed so sweet and strong when I saw him making announcements and stuff with the other guardians. But his Guardian Character, his self that he wants to be is Kiseki and.." She shook her head. "I realized that I didn't like him like that, once I got to know the real him."

Ikuto's eyes widened. "So…" he said casually. "Who DO you like?"

She bit her lip. She didn't want to be brushed off or teased, like she had done to him. She gazed into Ikuto's deep mysterious eyes. She scanned her eyes over his shaggy midnight blue hair. She loved him. She closed her eyes and forced the words out of her heart and into her mouth. "You…I um…love you," she said softly. She turned to run commanding herself not to look at his reaction.

He grabbed her arm. "Do you really mean that?" he asked urgently.

Blushing, Amu nodded.

"Even though we're enemies and I might be forced to hurt you someday?"

Again, Amu nodded.

Ikuto let a smile curve his lips. He leaned over and whispered into her ear.

Panda: This is NOT, repeat NOT the last chapter. I'm not letting them get together that easily! If you want to stop reading now…well you are missing out on a lot. Including a surprise visit from some characters I've missed :D

Yoru: Can I stop reading right now, just so I can stay with Miki, nya?

Miki: Seriously, haven't you made us suffer enough?

Panda: No…how could you THINK such a thing. I love you guys so much, I want to put you in more!

Miki: -weakly- Could you just love us a little less?

Panda: that is NOT acceptable

Ikuto: Well, I'm happy!

Amu: Sh-shut up!

Ikuto:…..

Amu: what are you doing?

Ikuto:….

Panda: He's shutting up, DUH. That's what you TOLD him to do

Amu: Oh right. It's ok Ikuto, you can talk again.

Panda: No he can't cuz I'm ending this chapter RIGHT NOW!


	5. Chapter 5

Panda: Hi everyone!! Please don't kill me because of that cliffy!

Ikuto: Kill her. Seriously. I have NO idea what I'm going to say to Amu.

Amu: ………….

Panda: Anyway…..as usual, I'd like to thank all those people who have submitted reviews and put alerts on my story, etc. But I can't type all those names…sorry if you wanted to see your name here. I really am sorry!!

Yoru: She's not, nya!

Panda: YES I AM!!

Miki: um…can't we just get on with the story?! They're waiting you know!

Panda: Oh right….the story…..about that….

Amu: -suspiciously- What are you talking about, Panda?

Panda: Nothing! Nothing at all

Ikuto: -under breath- That's really suspicious. I wonder what's wrong…

Ran: Fess up, Panda!Panda: Ummm I don't have a stopping point for the next chapter, so the end of this chapter will probably be a little rushed. I'm sorry!!

Yoru: -disappointed- That's IT?! I thought for sure it was something bad….

Panda: well, I COULD make something bad happen to you and Miki!Miki: No, no, that's ok! -glares at Yoru- Right…??

Yoru: -meekly- Yup.

Ikuto: -laughing- She's totally got a leash on you, Yoru!

Yoru: -glares- Shut up

Amu: -glares- Yeah, shut up.

Panda: SHUT UP ALL OF YOU SO WE CAN GET ON WITH THE STORY!!

Su: You were the one who didn't want to start the story, desu!

Temari: -smiling calmly- Disclaimer: mAnGa ObSeSsEd PaNdA does not own Shugo Chara because Peach-Pit does!!

Everyone: WHERE THE HECK DID YOU COME FROM?!

Musashi: She's been here all along, being ignored. Like Kairi, Pepe, Yaya, Kukai, Daichi, Tadase, Yukari, Nikaidou, Kiseki…shall I go on?

Everyone: no. we're going to start the story now.

+ + + +In love With Two, Chapter 5+ + + +

Panda: Oh wait. Here's a recap!

_Ikuto's eyes widened. "So…" he said casually. "Who DO you like?"_

_She bit her lip. She didn't want to be brushed off or teased, like she had done to him. She gazed into Ikuto's deep mysterious eyes. She scanned her eyes over his shaggy midnight blue hair. She loved him. She closed her eyes and forced the words out of her heart and into her mouth. "You…I um…love you," she said softly. She turned to run commanding herself not to look at his reaction._

_He grabbed her arm. "Do you really mean that?" he asked urgently. _

_Blushing, Amu nodded. _

"_Even though we're enemies an_

_Ikuto let a smile curve his lips. He leaned over and whispered into her ear_

_d I might be forced to hurt you someday?"_

_Again, Amu nodded._

_Ikuto let a smile curve his lips. He leaned over and whispered into her ear. _

She lay in her bed that morning, reliving the moment with Ikuto. (A/N: No it was NOT a dream. How lame do you think I am?! I just didn't feel like doing their whole lovey-dovey moment. Jeez)

She heard Ikuto's voice whispering in her ear, "_I really do love you too._"

She blushed just thinking about it. There was so much she didn't know about him. But it didn't matter. She'd love him no matter what. _And he loves me_, she thought happily, smiling. They had spent a long time at the park, and by the time she'd gotten home, it was almost time for her to "wake up" for school. She lingered under her warm blankets, dozing and dreaming of Ikuto.

Ikuto sat on his bed, and said, "Yoru. You can stop pretending to sleep."

"Nya?" asked Yoru, pretending to yawn, feigning sleepiness, and rubbing his eyes. "What are you talking about, Ikuto?"

Ikuto smirked. "I heard the plan that Miki made up."

Yoru sighed. "I KNEW you would. But it was a good plan, nya? Miki is a genius!"

Ikuto smiled at his little happy chara. "You better get some REAL sleep. We're going to Amu's house. Maybe. IF we're lucky."

Yoru closed the egg over his head and soon snores could be heard.

"Amu-chan?" her mom asked.

"Amu-chan, my sparrow?" asked her father. "Are you awake?"

"ONII-CHAN WAKE UP!!"

"Ugh…Ami….not so loud," grumbled Amu. But she wasn't really upset. She was in love!

As Amu dressed for school, she wondered if there would be any tension between her and Tadase. _It might be uncomfortable_, she thought, worried. She quickly put her eggs into their box, all the while worrying about Tadase, but also dreaming about Ikuto.

"Good morning Amu-chan!" said her family, as if they hadn't just woken her up 10 minutes ago.

"Morning," she replied

"Cool and Spicy!!" cried her mother and father, dancing around.

Amu rolled her eyes. Didn't she get enough of this at school? And now it was invading her home. She quickly ate her breakfast and went back upstairs to pack her bag.

"Amu-chan! You're going to be late!" called her mom

"Ok!" replied Amu, rushing around. She ran out the door, yelling "BYE!" She sighed heavily as she hurried to school.

"Amu-chan! Want to do a character change?" asked Ran, worried that Amu would be late.

"No, it's ok! I'll be ok," she replied, spotting her school in the distance. She slowed as she neared the gate. Did she really want everyone to see her all frantic? No. She breathed slowly, to compose herself. Then she walked boldly into school.

Su: -pops up from nowhere- After school, desu!!

Amu groaned inwardly as she trudged toward the meeting. She'd been successful in avoiding Tadase all day long. But there was no way she could avoid him at a guardian meeting. She glanced inside the garden. Yes, everyone there, waiting for her. She walked up and sat down, looking at the ground. Kairi started to give a report on the slight increase in X-eggs, but she paid no attention. In fact, she was so out of it that she didn't notice at first when someone called her name.

"Huh?" Her head shot up, confused

"Hinamori! Oi, Hinamori!"

She felt a hand ruffle her hair. She turned. (A/N: Have you guessed who it is yet?? Well if you haven't….)

"Kukai!!" she cried, just as Tadase said,

"Souma-kun!"

Their eyes met, and then they averted their gaze, uncomfortably.

Kukai, being the amazing observer and awesome person he is (Panda: Yes I am extremely biased :D), immediately noticed. He had the perfect solution. He put his hand on Amu's shoulder.

"Hinamori! We haven't done laps in awhile! Come on! And if you don't come now, you'll have to do 50 laps the next time I see you," he added, eyes twinkling.

Amu grimaced. _Do I really have a choice?_ "Okay…" she said reluctantly.

He grabbed her hand and took off, leaving clouds of dust behind (I guess I'm stealing from episode 29, but I can't help it! I'm sorry!!)

Yaya waved goodbye. "Have fun you guys! Don't stop after a couple laps, Amu-chii!! Kukai, play with me next time!"

Amu panted for breath after 2 laps.

"Eh? What's this? You're out of shape, Hinamori!" said Kukai, laughing.

She was breathing too hard to reply.

While Amu and Kukai rested, Daichi floated up to Amu's charas.

"Hey! Long time no see!"

"Daichi!" cried Ran, giving him a high-five.

"Hey Daichi."

"Hi, desu!"

"Hi Miki, Su…Ran." he said, giving them all a big smile and thumbs up. "Want to run laps too?"

Su shook her head.

Miki pointed out, "We're charas. We FLOAT."

But Ran nodded.

Daichi was totally shocked. "Really?"

"Yup. I need to stay in shape."

He shrugged. "Okay."

They grinned at each other and gave each other another high-five (they do this a lot…).

"All right, race you around the track," he said.

"Ok!"

"On your mark, get set, GO!" cried Su

Daichi and Ran sped off.

"Um…should we tell them that the track is THAT way?" inquired Miki, pointing in the direction opposite of the way they had gone in."

Su grinned. "Let's let them figure it out, desu!!"

"Man, these athletic types have no sense of direction," smirked Miki. "Or maybe it's only these two?"

Ran was ahead, then Daichi. Then Ran again, then Daichi….Ran, with Daichi right behind her. That's when she realized that they were going the wrong way. She stopped suddenly, which made Daichi run into her, which made her fall, which made him trip…you get the picture.

They ended up in an awkward position, with them gazing into each others' eyes. They stayed like that for a moment, just staring at each other. Daichi broke the silence.

"Ran…" he said softly.

"Yeah?"

"……..Why did you stop suddenly?! You startled me and I ran into you…"

Ran giggled. "We're going the wrong way."

Daichi looked around. She was right. He smiled.

"Race you back? The RIGHT way."

She nodded. "But first…just a moment…to catch my breath."

He held out his hand and helped her up. She dusted off her pink cheerleader's outfit and thanked him.

"Okay, ready!"

"Ready…set…GO!"

They ran off again, leaving clouds of dust in their wake. They both ran around the track at record speed and tied in the end.

"HIGH-FIVE!" cried Ran. Daichi slapped her hand and grinned.

"Good job!"

"You too!"

They shook hands like good sports. Then Daichi unexpectedly gave her a hug. Ran's cheeks turned pink-well, pinker than normal- and hugged him back.

(A/N: OMG Raichi moment!!-swoons with happiness-)

The other charas giggled a little, and glanced downward. Su grinned.

"They make an adorable couple, desu!" she whispered

Miki agreed, smiling slightly. Ran came over to them, still blushing, with Daichi following closely behind, their hands almost touching.

"Hey! Is Amu done yet?"

Miki pointed to Amu, who had collapsed on the ground after a couple more laps. "Yup. Kukai killed her!" she said teasingly, glancing at Daichi.

"She's out of shape!" protested Daichi, playing along. "Su, you need to stop feeding her so much food!"

"It's not MY faulty, desu!" she replied indignantly.

Ran looked back and forth between the 3 charas and burst out laughing. "You guys sound RIDICULOUS!: she cried. The others laughed along.

"Yeah, I guess we do," said Daichi, grinning.

"Desu!" agreed Su

Eru popped out of nowhere just then (typical Eru --)

"What are you talking about? Did someone fall in love? WITHOUT ME?!"

"No, Eru! We were just talking about Amu being out of shape," replied Ran cheerfully. "Don't worry!"

"She's not out of shape! She's the star!! Speaking of which, it's time for the heroine to appear." Eru floated off happily toward Kukai and Amu. Then Miki, Ran, and Su realized what she was going to do. They raced after her, but she got there first.

"Amu-chan! Amu-chan! It's time for the heroine to make an entrance!"

Amu glanced up at Eru and panicked. _Oh no…_she thought, groaning. _Not again!_

"Amu-chan's heart," said Eru. Suddenly a hand covered her mouth and Eru was dragged away by 3 unhappy charas. (Miki and Su STILL hadn't gotten over the last time she had done a forced Character Transformation, in episode 33.)

Kukai laughed.

Amu blushed. "It's not my fault Eru's crazy!"

"Ah, Hinamori. Your guardian characters are weird, but they sure are amusing!"

"And Daichi's not weird?!" "Nope!"

"Argh, Kukai…" She couldn't win. She laughed a bit and sat up. "Are we done?"

"Yes…unless you want to do more laps," said Kukai slyly.

"NO!"

Kukai laughed again. "Hinamori, calm down."

She sighed. "um…Thanks Kukai."

"For getting you out of the guardian meeting?"

"Yeah."

"So…what's up with you and Tadase? You guys seemed really uncomfortable and there was so much tension…! Wait, don't tell me. He asked you out, and you REJECTED him, right?"

Amu stared in shock. "How…HOW DID YOU KNOW?!"

"I told you last time, don't underestimate the former Jack's chair. It was fairly obvious." He paused. "Plus, Tadase told me he was going to ask you out." He snickered. "That little bit of information helped."

Amu shook her head. "You…you're hopeless."

He grinned. "Whatever. So why did you reject him?"

Amu hesitated. "Don't… tell anyone, okay?"

He nodded. "You can trust me."

"I'm…in love…with…someone else…"

"Who? Me?" he asked mischievously.

"NO! Oh, I mean, no offense Kukai but-"

"I was kidding. Loosen up, Hinamori!"

They both laughed a bit.

"Seriously, who do you like though?"

Amu blushed as she leaned forward and quietly whispered the name.

Ikuto, at this point, was sleeping. But he woke up with a sneeze.

"Hey Ikuto, what's wrong? Do you have a cold, nya?" asked a concerned Yoru.

"No…maybe someone's talking about me?" he smirked. _I'll have to talk to Amu about that…_He drifted back to sleep.

Panda: Okies, that's the end! Semi-cliffy I guess. What will Kukai's reaction be? Will he tell Tadase?

Kukai: I TOLD YOU THAT I WOULDN'T!!

Panda: Oh fine. So what did you think? Please review!!

Ikuto: I was barely in this chapter -sniffs-

Panda: Oh, calm down you big baby. You'll be in the next one. This one was mostly Kukai and Amu talking and the Raichi moment!!

Ran/Daichi: -blushes-

Panda: It was cute, though, wasn't it? I hope so. I love that couple.

Yoru: -insulted- More than me and Miki?!

Panda: Nope, how could you THINK such a thing?

Su: I don't have anyone, desu.

Panda: Oh you will…just you wait.

Tadase: How come Hinamori-san ends up with Tsukiyomi Ikuto?! It's not fair

Panda: -sighs- The story isn't over yet, Tadase. But don't worry anyway, because my next story is a Tadamu one-shot!!

Amu and Ikuto: WHAT??Tadase: YES!!

Panda: Please review! I don't mind criticism! And hurry before Amu and Ikuto kill me all because of a one-shot!!

Amu and Ikuto: -starts to run after Panda-

Miki: Oh boy…We hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Chapter 6

Panda: Hey everyone!! Miss me?!

Kiseki: No

Panda: Shut up. Was I TALKING to you?Musashi: Well, you DID say hello to everyone. The "King" here was only assuming…

Panda: yes, whatever. ANYWAY-

Kiseki: Why are there quotation marks around KING? -chases Musashi, who is calmly floating away-

Panda: what I've been TRYING to say is that this chapter is very short; I'm really sorry, but I'm working on other stories, plus school, plus I have writer's block…

Miki: What she's REALLY trying to say is that this chapter of In Love with Two will be short due to the fact that she already has projects due in school and she's too lazy to write.

Panda: Sort of.

Yoru: Miki's a GENIUS, nya!

Panda: Whatever. Anyway, enjoy! This chapter was kind of hard to write; I have NO idea why. Bye ya'll and please review!

Miki (to Yoru): Where did she get that Texas accent from?

Yoru: I have NO idea. This scares me -backs away-

Miki: Let's get out of here! -runs off-

Panda: Yeah, I really don't care. Sorry the intro was so long! Enjoy! :D

Recap

"_So…what's up with you and Tadase? You guys seemed really uncomfortable and there was so much tension…! Wait, don't tell me. He asked you out, and you REJECTED him, right?"_

_Amu stared in shock. "How…HOW DID YOU KNOW?!"_

"_I told you last time; don't underestimate the former Jack's chair. It was fairly obvious." He paused. "Plus, Tadase told me he was going to ask you out." He snickered. "That little bit of information helped."_

_Amu shook her head. "You…you're hopeless."_

_He grinned. "Whatever. So why did you reject him?"_

_Amu hesitated. "Don't… tell anyone, okay?"_

_He nodded. "You can trust me."_

"_I'm…in love…with…someone else…"_

"_Who? Me?" he asked mischievously. _

"_NO! Oh, I mean, no offense Kukai but-"_

"_I was kidding. Loosen up, Hinamori!"_

_They both laughed a bit. _

"_Seriously, who do you like though?"_

_Amu blushed as she leaned forward and quietly whispered the name._

_Ikuto, at this point, was sleeping. But he woke up with a sneeze._

"_Hey Ikuto, what's wrong? Do you have a cold, nya?" asked a concerned Yoru._

"_No…maybe someone's talking about me?" he smirked_. I'll have to talk to Amu about that…_He drifted back to sleep._

Kukai looked at Amu blankly. "Who is that? Oh wait…you mean you like that guy that Tadase hates?" She nodded grimly. "I see."

_Is Kukai going to lecture me?_ she wondered fearfully. But she didn't have to worry. Kukai started laughing again. Shaking his head, he said, "Hinamori, you do like to complicate things."

Amu smiled and laughed along. "Thank you," she said dryly, "That's a wonderful compliment."

He grinned. "I know!!"

They both laughed a bit (A/N: YES I realize that they are laughing a lot. So sue me!)

"No seriously," she whispered. "Thanks. Anyone else would have completely freaked out or something. You know, because I like the enemy."

He got a mischievous look. "You mean like this?" He assumed a proper air and sat up straight. "Hinamori! How could you possibly feel that way about THAT boy? He is the ENEMY! It is not right!"

Amu giggled. "You're crazy! But you make me feel better."

He grinned. "Good."

"Good that you're crazy or good that you make me feel better?" asked Amu, smirking.

"Both."

"Kukai…you are impossible."

"I know!"

"And so weird."

He grinned.

"But thanks for being a listening ear and for helping me."

"You're welcome. Any time you wanna talk, just call me!"

"I will!" She smiled at him.

"I should go; soccer practice starts soon," he said, looking at his watch.

"Okay."

Ran heard this. "Um…Bye Daichi," she said, a little shyly, which is a BIG surprise for her.

"Bye Ran!" He grinned at her.

Full of sudden boldness, she reached forward and hugged him. Daichi was surprised, but he hugged her back,

"Bye Miki, Su….Eru," he said after Ran let go.

"Bye," they chorused. Then they swarmed Ran, asking her what was up with her and Daichi.

Amu smiled to herself, then rescued Ran. "Guys, it's time to go."

Ran sighed with relief and smiled. "Hai, Amu-chan!" she cried, racing towards Amu. "C'mon you guys!"

They grumbled good-naturedly and caught up. They walked home, with only a few teasing stuff about Daichi. P

Meanwhile, Utau was pacing back and forth in her apartment. _Where IS he?_ she wondered, annoyed. Suddenly the door opened, and he stepped in. She barely glanced at him. _Took him long enough, _she thought. "Where WERE you?" she asked, glaring.

"Sorry, Utau-san. I was-"

"It's HOSHINA-san," she corrected, tone icy.

"Hoshina-san, I mean. I'm sorry."

"That's better."

"I had work to do. You see, the-"

"Is this going to be a pointless excuse?"

"….Uh…"

"I thought so." She smiled coolly. "Well, let's get on with it."

"I really shouldn't be here…"

She snorted. "I know what you want. So this is how desperate you really are. I wondered if you'd really come."

"I said I would come." The person smiled nervously. "You know I always keep my promises."

"Yes, yes." She rolled her eyes. "I know." She put her hand on her hip. "But for this to happen, you may need to break promises. Are you ready for that?" Her tone was not mocking or sarcastic. Although they held an edge, they were genuine and sincere.

Her guest drew in a breath. "Yes," was whispered, almost silently.

"Ok." She smiled. "So how are we going to do this?" She saw his frown.

"You mean you don't have a plan already?"

"Nope." She smirked. "Sorry I didn't plan in advance."

He paused. "Are you being sincere, Utau-that is, Hoshina-san?"

"What do you think?" She had a fake smile on her face.

"Step into the room fully. Standing in the doorway is kind of awkward. And close the door PLEASE. I don't want anyone to know you're here."

"All right."

She heard the door close and the boy stepped into the room. She turned to face him for the first time since his arrival. She smirked at his nervous face.

"Hello, Hotori-kun."

Panda: So what did you think?

Tadase: WHAT AM I DOING HERE?!

Panda: Didn't you READ it?! You were desperate for Amu.

Amu: Gotta give him SOME points there. -smiles-

Ikuto:…sure, whatever

Panda: Ikuto, you ARE in the next chapter. So stop sulking.

Ikuto: Cool.

Panda -sighs-: Why are there so many non-talkative people in Shugo Chara?! Oh well. Hmm I feel like bringing in a new character to talk to…how about-

Rima: Me

Panda: Yup! Rima, you'll be the star of one of my other stories :D

Rima: Ok

Panda: SEE?? They don't talk a lot!!Rima: Please review.

Panda: Oh…thanks Rima! Bye y'all!!

Miki -under breath-: Seriously, where'd she get that accent from?!

Panda: …Uh…Please review!!


	7. Chapter 7

Panda: OMG I'm sooooo sorry for not updating. I've been busy…school…writer's block…

Miki: same excuses as last time, really.

Panda: yeah, I know. Well, we'll have to keep this short (the chappie will be short too, sorry again).

Yoru: You talk to us too much, nya.

Panda: I know, I KNOW! So I'm going to stop talking right now. Wait I still have to…

Musashi: Panda-Chan does NOT own Shugo Chara

Panda: Thank you! Now, enjoy chapter…7? Of In Love with Two!!

Oh yeah, my Kukamu will be posted soon! 2nd chappie will be a songfic probably, like last time. ;; Also, this chapter has NOTHING to do with Utau and Tadase's evil plan. I couldn't fit it into this chapter. Again, sorry! Thanks for reading! Please review!

Recap:

"_Step into the room fully. Standing in the doorway is kind of awkward. And close the door PLEASE. I don't want anyone to know you're here." Utau said_

"_All right."_

_She heard the door close and _the_ boy stepped into the room. She turned to face him for the first time since his arrival. She smirked at his nervous face. _

"_Hello, Hotori-kun."_

Chapter 7

Amu yawned and fell onto her bed. "It's been a long day," she told the charas.

"And it's about to get longer," said Miki.

Amu looked at her, confused. "Eh?"

Miki pointed. "Look!"

There stood Ikuto, one hand on his hip, with Yoru floating around his shoulder. "You're not going to let us in?" asked Ikuto, smirking, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

Amu blushed. "No," was all she could say. "you can't come in. My mom and dad would KILL me."

Ikuto nodded understandingly. Then he said teasingly, "I forgot. You're still a kid."

"Hey!" She opened the balcony door and stepped outside, with Miki following close behind. "Ikuto, I'm NOT a kid." She hit him playfully.

"Ow, that hurt!" he whined, pouting.

"AHH!! Are you serious??" she cried, terrified.

"No."

Miki giggled and muttered to Yoru, "She's not very bright."

"Nya," agreed Yoru.

"Amu, keep your voice down."

"Well, you SCARED me. I should've known you were kidding." She shook her head. "Just like when you were in that alley. You tricked me then too."

"Yeah, but you dropped my head on the concrete, remember?"

"oh yeah…" Amu giggled at the memory.

Miki giggled too. Yoru had totally freaked out when that had happened.

"What, nya?"

"Just thinking about the time she dropped Ikuto's head and you screamed."

Yoru blushed

Utau glared at Tadase. She threw her hands in the air in frustration "How. Do. You. Expect. To. Get. Amu. If. You. Keep. Shooting. Down. All. My. IDEAS??" she said in short, clipped words, which were getting progressively louder.

"I don't know." He looked upset. "I…"

"You…." she mocked. "Have no ideas, right?"

"Well I did but…"

She looked surprised. "You have an idea?"

"Yes, sort of."

"Well? " she asked impatiently. "What is it?"

He leaned forward and whispered. She smirked. "It'll work," she said casually. But the words burning in her mind were, _It better work. Or else._

Tadase stepped out of the room, sighing with relief. _No one saw me, right?_ Just then, a loud voice yelled, "TADASE!"

He jumped, then relaxed. It was only Kiseki. The little chara had his eyes narrowed, and hands on his hips. And he was wearing an extraordinarily scary mask of fury.

"How…HOW COULD YOU?!"

Tadase explained his reasons.

"She is the ENEMY."

Tadase looked ashamed. "But I….I really like Hinamori," he whispered.

"A king does not betray his people."

Tadase bit his lip. Why couldn't anyone just support his decisions? He usually made choices with Kiseki's advice, and they turned out okay. But the one time he tried by himself, everyone acts like he did something disastrously wrong. _It's not fair! _he thought bitterly. _It's not fair!_

The next day was pretty uneventful. Amu was happy because Ikuto had stopped by the night before (A/N: Yeah, sorry, I didn't finish Ikuto's visit. Too busy to…), She was so cheerful she even talked to Tadase. No big subjects, just small stuff. But it was a step in the right direction.

Amu walked home happily, completely unaware of what was going to happen next.

A figure crept up behind her, reached forward, and grabbed her arm.

"Boo."

Panda: HAHHAHA I MADE IT A CLIFFY!!

Amu: You're so mean! Who is it?? AM I GOING TO DIE??

Panda: Use common sense. WHY would I make the main character die, especially if this is AMUTO??

Amu: Oh yeah….

Panda: Yes, so anyway, review! I need love TT!!

Ikuto: Shut up

Panda: -sniffs- See what I mean? actually I don't need love, but I'm seriously wondering what you guys think about this story. I might delete it……

Anyway, review! Oh and I will hopefully be able to type up my Kukamu soon!! :D Love you all! Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

Panda: OMG it's been so long!! I'm soooooo sorry. Thank you for sticking with me for so long even thought I haven't updated in awhile

Miki: Took you long enough

Amu: WHO'S STALKING ME???

Panda: Sheesh, calm down. I'll let you know later!!!!!

Yoru: she doesn't own Shugo Chara/Doki!!!!! Get on with the story!!!

Panda: Thanks Yoru. And FINE be that way! Please read and review chapter….8 I think, of In Love with Two!!! :D

Recap:

_The next day was pretty uneventful. Amu was happy because Ikuto had stopped by the night before (A/N: Yeah, sorry, I didn't finish Ikuto's visit. Too busy to…), She was so cheerful she even talked to Tadase. No big subjects, just small stuff. But it was a step in the right direction. _

_Amu walked home happily, completely unaware of what was going to happen next._

_A figure crept up behind her, reached forward, and grabbed her arm. _

"_Boo."_

Panda: Mwahahahaha I love cliff hangers

Miki: Shut up and get on with the story

Panda: Fine…….

Amu screamed and jumped around (like she usually does). Her eyes widened. She sputtered, trying to get the words out. Her charas (and Eru) stared too.

"N-n-n-NADESHIKO!!!!!" she yelled, happily. "You're back!" She hugged her. Miki, Ran, Su, and Eru crowded around Temari, exclaiming happily, Actually, Eru was looking at her skeptically and asking, "Are you my enemy?" But no one really cares about her so……

"Welcome home, desu!" said Su sweetly, floating to Nadeshiko.

Nadeshiko smiled. "It's good to be home."

The two girls walked home together. On the way, Amu told Nadeshiko about her love crisis. "I….see," she said, after Amu finished. "Poor Hotori-kun.

"Eh???!!!"

"Well, you DID reject him, even though it took all his courage just to ask you out."

Amu sighed. "I know, and I feel bad. But I like Ikuto!! It would hurt him even more if I said yes without meaning it!"

"True. I think you made the right decision, Amu-chan." Nadeshiko smiled reassuringly at her friend.

"Did your dancing get better?" asked Amu, changing the subject.

"What? Oh yes, it did." Nadeshiko smiled. "It was hard work, but I have improved greatly."

"I'm glad." Amu smiled. They reached Amu's house. "Goodbye Nadeshiko!" she called. "Welcome home!"

"Goodbye, Amu-chan." Nadeshiko walked home. Temari floated up to her.

"Ma'am, when are you going to tell her?! You said you would when you came back."

Nagehiko smiled sadly. "I can't right now. Note yet. Not while everything with Tsukiyomi and Hotori-kun is going on. Sometime soon, when this is all over, I will tell her."

"Hai, ma'am," Temari said. But her eyes radiated disbelief.

"Don't give me that look!"

"But…madam, you said that you'd tell her when you came back!" pressed Temari.

"I know. But this would stress her out even more. I can't do that to her."

Temari sighed. "All right….."

Amu was smiling when she sat down for dinner. Her parents noticed immediately.

"Are you happy about something, Amu-chan?" asked her mother pleasantly.

"Duh," whispered Miki.

"Shhhh!" chastised Su. Ran giggled, and Eru was watching the scene with complete shock that someone could be that dense.

"Amu ignored them and grinned. "Hai! My friend, Nadeshiko, has come back!"

"Oh!" cried her mother, clapping her hands. "How wonderful!"

"Yeah. I'm really happy. I missed her a lot." Amu swallowed a spoonful of dinner. She was about half done. "May I be excused?"

"Eat a little more, my sparrow! Then you may grow into a BIG bird!" cried her father energetically.

"Big Bird?" asked Ami. "Where???"

"Eat some more, Amu-chan," replied her mother, calmly ignoring her husband and youngest daughter.

She ate some more and stood up. "Now?" Her mother nodded her approval. Amu bolted from the table. Her parents couldn't figure out why she was so eager to leave.

"Homework, perhaps," said her naïve father.

"Yes, probably. Amu-chan is such a good girl!" replied her equally naïve mother.

"BIG BIRD!!!" cried Ami.

Amu shut the door to her room and sighed. _Whew_, she thought. _I thought they'd NEVER let me leave._

She unlocked the balcony door and slipped outside. The moon was almost full, and was radiating its glow over Tokyo. It was calm. She tilted her head up, breathing in the cool, fresh air for about 20 minutes.

"Look Amu-chan!" Ran suddenly cried.

Amu looked up to see a shooting star. She shut her eyes and wished. "I wish…"

"For me?" asked a familiar voice. Amu didn't jump, but silently finished her wish, Then she opened her eyes.

"Ikuto!" she smiled. Then, reaching up, she whispered in his ear, "What TOOK you so long?"

"…."

Ikuto was silent. It was Utau that had made him late, but he wasn't about to tell Amu that.

Amu looked fearful. "What is it?!"

"…Nothing. I had…homework."

"Oh." Amu smiled at that. "I forgot you were still a student."

"Yeah, but I'm not a kid anymore. Not like a certain someone."

She blushed. "Hey!"

He smirked. "It's true, though. You're what…5, 6 years younger than me?"

She became angry. "So?!" she whisper-shouted. "I thought it didn't matter what age I was! I thought you _loved_ me."

He grew somber. "I do, Amu. But there is a pretty wide gap in between us."

"So what?!" she asked stubbornly. "I love you and I thought you loved me, so why should anything else matter?!"

"Amu…can we just drop the subject for now?" He looked serious.

"Fine. But since you're thinking like that, maybe we should drop our relationship for now, too." With that, she coolly turned around and back inside, hair swishing.

Panda: Please don't kill me!!!! I couldn't make them have a happy ending THAT quickly, could I??

Amu: Well, you COULD have.

Panda: But then I would lose all my fans!!

Miki: But then you wouldn't have gained a lot of enemies.

Panda: ………Don't hate me!!! They'll get back together eventually!!!

Yoru: really, nya?

Panda: -whispers- If I feel like it…..

Amu: I HEARD THAT!!

Panda: -runs-

Amu: -chases-

Miki/Yoru: -sweat drops- Please review!! You can even yell at her!!

Panda: Thanks for reading!! I love you all!!! -runs away again-


	9. Chapter 9

Panda: Ok hey people! I'm soooo sorry that I haven't updated in forever. You probably don't wanna hear my lame excuses….so I'll just say that I'm really really sorry. Thank you for waiting for me!! Thank you for the reviews!!

Miki: You're so lazy

Panda: Shut up! Just because YOU don't have to go to school…..

Miki: …..

Panda: …..

Kairi: Panda-san, please continue on with the story.

Panda: Oh! Kairi! When did u get here?? Never mind…. Right. The story….. Well…

Ran: -impatiently- Shugo Chara/Doki doesn't belong to Manga Obsessed Panda. Now get on with it!!!

Panda: -sighs- ok…but don't kill me…..none of you will be satisfied with this chapter; I already know it…..Read and review. They'll probably all be flames, but go ahead and review anyway!!

RECAP

_Amu looked fearful. "What is it?!"_

"…_Nothing. I had…homework."_

"_Oh." Amu smiled at that. "I forgot you were still a student."_

"_Yeah, but I'm not a kid anymore. Not like a certain someone."_

_She blushed. "Hey!"_

_He smirked. "It's true, though. You're what…5, 6 years younger than me?"_

_She became angry. "So?!" she whisper-shouted. "I thought it didn't matter what age I was! I thought you _loved_ me."_

_He grew somber. "I do, Amu. But there is a pretty wide gap in between us."_

"_So what?!" she asked stubbornly. "I love you and I thought you loved me, so why should anything else matter?!"_

"_Amu…can we just drop the subject for now?" He looked serious._

"_Fine. But since you're thinking like that, maybe we should drop our relationship for now, too." With that, she coolly turned around and back inside, hair swishing._

Panda: -shivers- I can feel you guys glaring at me. Ok, here goes…..

In Love with Two, chapter 9

Yoru and Miki were quietly watching the scene. "Yoru," Miki asked quietly, "What was the REAL reason why Ikuto was late?"

Yoru got a pained expression on his face. "Nothing, nya!" he lied. Miki's dark eyes stared at him intensely.

"Deception isn't good, Yoru," she said calmly.

He caved in. "Utau was complaining to him about something. Stalling him, I guess. I think she knew about their 'date' tonight."

Miki looked thoughtful and upset and this new information. "That's…" She was unable to finish the sentence. Yoru looked at her.

"It's ok, nya," he assured her. "They'll make up, and live happily ever after!!"

She smiled at the overused phrase, but it was distant. "Yoru…I should probably go back inside."

"Ok, nya."

"Goodbye." She hugged him, and then went inside. Apparently Ikuto hadn't realized that Amu had left the porch door unlocked, partly due to her forgetfulness, but also because, unconsciously, she wanted Ikuto to come in.

But Ikuto and Yoru left….

_Inside_

"He's such…I can't believe…" Amu gasped into her pillow, wet with tears of anger and regret. "I'm so STUPID! Why did I…_say_ those things….?"

"Shhhh Amu-chan, your parents will hear you," cautioned Su, worriedly. Amu just wailed louder and dove under her covers.

"Hinamori Amu….pathetic when it comes to a broken heart," muttered Eru under her breath, as she scribbled into her notebook. Ran and Su glared at her.

"Not helping," muttered Ran. She sighed and then perked right up, attempting to cheer Amu's actions on. "Ikuto deserved it; he shouldn't have teased you! But everything will work out in the end!"

"If he _really_ loved you, desu, he wouldn't care how old you were," offered Su, trying to be helpful and honest at the same time.

But Miki was blunt and tactless. Her negative words thudded like the heaviest thing in the world onto Amu's heart. "It _was_ pretty stupid of you," she said flatly. "It's not like Ikuto was doing anything wrong. He's teased you about you being a kid before, so it's not like it was anything new."

"**MIKI**!!" The others glared at her, expecting Miki to duck down in embarrassment. But Miki stared back defiantly, daring them to find something wrong in her logic.

"It's true," she said coldly, crossing her arms. "And just because YOU don't want Amu-chan to see that, doesn't mean I can't enlighten her."

They all started arguing. "IT WASN'T AMU-CHAN'S FAULT!!" cried Ran passionately.

"If Daichi said that to you, would you have gotten mad? After all, you're technically YEARS younger than him."

Ran blushed. "No…because it's true." But then she caught herself. "Still, Ikuto should not have provoked Amu-chan."

Miki shook her head. _Ran's hopeless_, she thought. She looked at Su and Eru. No point in trying to convince THEM. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "You guys will see," was all she said. With that, she shut her egg around her and closed it. Loudly.

THE NEXT DAY

Utau was hysterical. She had overheard Ikuto and Yoru talking about last night's fight with Amu. (A/N She's a stalker sister; what can I say?! Even if she's one of my fave characters.) _I didn't even plan it, but it went so perfectly!_ she thought gleefully. _Now…let us see if Hotori can do what he wanted to do._

Tadase was the only one in the garden that day. Rima was off somewhere, probably being stalked by her fans. Kairi was off researching, as usual, and Yaya…no on knew where Yaya was.

"Hinamori-san," Tadase greeted her.

"Oh. Tadase-kun," she replied, a bit glumly.

"Anything wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"No, it's just Ik-" She stopped abruptly. "Nothing."

"I see. Anyway, Hinamori-san, I would like to apologize if my presence has been making you uncomfortable lately. I hope things can return to the way they were before…" He trailed off.

Amu smiled, touched by Tadase's sweet apology. "Of course I forgive you, Tadase-kun. I'm sorry things have been awkward between us too."

He smiled back. "Oh, you have something on your cheek," he said, reaching for a handkerchief. "I'll get it." He gently wiped off the smudge of dirt Amu had received from P.E. earlier that day. "Got it."

Amu felt her cheeks heat up. Her eyes widened, and she was inwardly freaking out. _What the heck?!?!?! I like IKUTO. Not __**Tadase-kun**__!!! _

Panda: ehehehe….sorry for the short chappie?

Ikuto: WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!

Panda: Sorry!!!! Really!! I love Amuto!

Miki: Sure doesn't seem like it.

Panda: Well, it's called In Love with TWO_. _I couldn't have her fall in love with Ikuto from the start and LEAVE it like that.

Ikuto: I wouldn't have minded….

Yoru: Nya! What about me and Miki?!

Panda: Oh sheesh…stop complaining. You'll stay together…for now at least…-rubs hands together evilly-

Amu: Please review. By all means, give her flames. She deserves it, after writing a chapter like THIS.

Panda: -cowers in the corner- Sorry. By the way, I'll have you know I was supposed to be working on my projects due TOMORROW while I was writing this.

Su: Shame on you, desu!!!

Ikuto: We'd rather you work on your projects and not update for a month than write such an anti-Amuto chapter.

Panda: Ok, I will NOT just stay here and be verbally abused. I'm leaving!!! -runs away-

Miki: Review!!!!! Thank you!

_-Everyone dissatisfied by this chapter _(That is, everyone except Tadase) _chases her-_

Panda: -comes back really fast- Aw man!! I forgot about Nagihiko!!! Oh well, he'll have to wait until next chapter…-runs away again..-

-comes back- By the way, thanks for reading this :D


	10. Chapter 10

Panda: Hey people!! Guess what??? It's almost the end of school (for me)!! YAY!

Miki: What, you're not even going to apologize for not updating?

Panda: I was **getting** to that, thank you very much. Sorry for not updating!! I've been super busy and stressed, but now that it's almost the end of the year, I'm free…!!! So I can update more often!

Ikuto: -smirks- You **can** update, but** will** you?

Panda: -glares- Yes, I will. As long as I have enough written for a chappie.

Amu: Seriously, when was the last time you actually wrote a lot?

Panda: ……..

Temari: _Disclaimer:_ Manga Obsessed Panda does not own Shugo Chara.

Panda: Thanks Temari. Anyway, please read and review!!

…….

Oh wait, by the way….I AM an Amuto fan, always and forever. _But_ I had to make the last chapter anti-Amuto because I couldn't just let them live happily ever after. Stories need conflicts, and Tadase is a natural one.

Ikuto: You use that excuse a lot.

Panda: THAT'S CUZ IT'S TRUE!! T_T (oh, btw, Addicted, Utau is one of my favorite characters too. I just didn't like her when I started writing this…and yeah…maybe I'll make her good later…)

Read and review, and thanks for sticking with me!! =)

In Love with Two chapter…wow, 10!!!

No, wait, sorry…. RECAP

_Tadase was the only one in the garden that day. Rima was off somewhere, probably being stalked by her fans. Kairi was off researching, as usual, and Yaya…no on knew where Yaya was._

"_Hinamori-san," Tadase greeted her._

"_Oh. Tadase-kun," she replied, a bit glumly._

"_Anything wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned._

"_No, it's just Ik-" She stopped abruptly. "Nothing."_

"_I see. Anyway, Hinamori-san, I would like to apologize if my presence has been making you uncomfortable lately. I hope things can return to the way they were before…" He trailed off._

_Amu smiled, touched by Tadase's sweet apology. "Of course I forgive you, Tadase-kun. I'm sorry things have been awkward between us too."_

_He smiled back. "Oh, you have something on your cheek," he said, reaching for a handkerchief. "I'll get it." He gently wiped off the smudge of dirt Amu had received from P.E. earlier that day. "Got it."_

_Amu felt her cheeks heat up. Her eyes widened, and she was inwardly freaking out. _What the heck?!?!?! I like IKUTO. Not **Tadase-kun**!!!

Now, In Love with Two, chapter 10!!

"Is something wrong, Hinamori-san?"

"Ah…no! Not at all!"

"Are you sure?" he persisted in that concerned tone that he used all the time.

"H-hai." Her heart began to speed up involuntarily. _Oh…not _again_!!_ "I…ah…have to go. Search for X-eggs." She fumbled with her words and mixed up feelings.

"I can come with you," he offered. She hesitated. "Really. You shouldn't hunt by yourself."

What could she do? "S…sure."

"Great!" He smiled at her.

She smiled back weakly. Inwardly, she was screaming, _What am I _doing_?? What's _wrong_ with me? What about…_She reluctantly thought of his name. _What about…Ikuto? _They walked side by side silently for ten minutes or so. Amu didn't know what to say…and wasn't even sure she wanted to talk to him, for fear that she might….end up liking him again?! Then:

"Amu-chan!"

"Tadase!" Su and Kiseki cried together. "X-eggs!!"

"Oh…" was all Amu said before calling, "Miki!"

"Hai," Miki responded, smiling as she popped into her egg. Amu didn't want to use Amulet Heart for obvious reasons.

"My own heart…UNLOCK!" She held her breath as blue ribbons of light enveloped her and music notes appeared. "Chara Nari: Amulet Spade!"

"Kiseki! My own heart, Unlock!" Kiseki went into his egg blah blah blah (You know what happens!) "Chara Nari: Platinum Royal!"

The couple dozen eggs were watching in slight interest, but then panicked when the two transformed kids turned towards them. (They do look pretty strange, you have to admit.) Amu, in an attempt to try and outrun her feelings for Tadase, chased after them frantically. It didn't work, and she ended up being an epic fail (I'm so asian :P). Frustrated, she screamed, "Colorful Canvas!!" and actually succeeded in forcing them into an enclosed area. She was shocked.

"Good work Hinamori-san! White Decoration!" He trapped them with his totally not really awesome weapon. "Now!"

"Negative Heart, lock on! Open Heart!!"

"We did it!" cried Amu after she retransformed.

"Good work, Hinamori-san!"

"Thank you, Tadase-kun. You too." She blushed and glanced at her feet. (You couldn't see or hear her, but Miki was groaning.)

"So um…" Tadase shifted awkwardly. "May I…walk you home?"

"I…guess." She hesitated. What would Ikuto think? But she brushed that thought away. _He's probably mad at me anyway. And I'll apologize if he stops by tonight. _So they walked home, talking and laughing as if nothing had ever happened between them.

He didn't come. Not that night, or the next, or even next week. Amu was becoming increasingly worried. Yeah, Ikuto was a cat, but he could still get injured or hurt. But she ignored her worries. Tadase had started to become a good friend (almost more than a friend, was what Nagihiko had told her.) But when _another_ week passed, she couldn't just ignore it. Ikuto had_ never _been gone so long. _I miss him._ She couldn't hide her feelings for him, couldn't deny that she still liked--loved?--him still.Despite everything with Tadase. "I'm going to find him," she said stubbornly.

Utau was almost cackling. (Imagine Utau character changing with Iru. Yeahhh…) She was overwhelmed. This was practically perfect. _I didn't even think of this!! And it still worked out!_ She slid her eyes towards her unhappy brother. She walked to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ikuto! Are you performing with me again soon?"

"No. And get off; you're choking me."

Same old Ikuto, even though he was upset. _Sigh_.

Ikuto got up and walked away…well, more like stalked off. He went outside, thinking very hard. He was not happy. _A girl (heck, a guy as well) has never meant this much to me before. Will never again. _

"Ikuto, nya?"

"What, Yoru?"

"What happened between you and Amu? Miki doesn't really get it either."

Ikuto flinched at the sound of Amu's name. "_Nothing_. Why don't you get Miki to ask----_her_?"

Yoru paused. Then he confided in a soft voice, "Miki thinks that the other charas and Amu are mad at her. For still talking to me even though you and Amu had a fight, nya. And she's upset that-" He stopped abruptly.

Ikuto raised an eyebrow. "Upset that…?" he prodded.

"Well, her exact wording was, 'I wish that Amu would stop listening to her head and listen to her heart. Just because _Tadase_ is around more than Ikuto, doesn't mean she actually likes him like that.' "

"I…see." _So she likes the Kiddy King again, huh?_

"Aren't you going to do something about it?"

"What can I do? If she wants to go out with Kiddy King, I can't do anything to change her mind." He looked like he didn't care. He was cool and composed as always. But his voice held an undertone of bitter defeat.

Yoru was silent. "Who are you and what have you done with Ikuto??" he finally demanded.

"Yoru….?"

"Ikuto would _never_ act like that." He folded his arms across his chest. "_You_ are Tsukiyomi Ikuto. The coolest character in this entire manga/anime series. He doesn't let a _girl _make him feel defeated."

Ikuto actually smiled. He ruffled his chara's hair. "Ok, you win. But I'm still not going to Amu's tonight."

"You….aren't? Why not?" Yoru looked confused.

"I just can't. I still don't know if she even likes me."

"Well, you'll never know if you don't go over there and ask!!" Yoru said triumphantly.

"I'd know if she proved it, maybe."

"Like how??"

Ikuto shrugged. "Maybe she could come visit _me_ for once. I don't know."

"Okay….I'm going to sleep now, Ikuto. Night."

"Good night, Yoru." _Even thought it's the afternoon._

Yoru crept into his egg thinking, _I've got to tell Miki about this. Tell her that Ikuto won't come…because Ikuto wants _Amu_ to come to him… Can't forget…._ He drifted off to sleep.

Ikuto was quiet as he sat on the grass. _Amu……Do I mean _anything_ to you anymore?_

Panda: All right, now I'm done!! Sorry for taking so long updating! Review!!!

Ikuto: I hate you.

Panda: Yeah, I love you too. Anyway, I really have to go now.

Amu: I was barely in this chapter, and when I WAS, I was with Tadase. Your fans are going to give you a lot of (insert bad words here) for that.

Panda: I know, I know. I'm sorry. It'll become Amuto again soon, I'm pretty sure. I can't promise anything though, sorry.

Oh right. And about all the requests…I'm sorry I'm taking so long!!! I actually DO have them all written out, and I hope I'll be able to put them on fan fiction this summer…hopefully really soon. I'm SO sorry about the delay. I love you guys!!! Thanks for sticking by me! =) Review please!!!


	11. Chapter 11

Panda: HI EVERYONE!!! I've missed you guys sooo much and I'm super sorry I've been busy…all the usual excuses…. T_T I realize that it's been…Oh wow… almost half a year since I updated and I apologize. Profusely. Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed and read my story so far! I feel so loved!! :D

Miki: Save it, and get on with the story…

Panda: Yes, of course! Well, here's just another thing to be sorry for, but this is a short chappie… and I'll try (I _know_ say this a lot) to get longer chapter, more regular updates, stuff like that.

Suu: ~DISCLAIMER~: Manga-obsessed panda does NOT own Shugo Chara, Doki, etc. desu!!

Panda: Thanks for reading! Please review!!! Oh and by the way, I haven't been keeping up with the anime, and I haven't read the latest chapter yet for the manga, so…Sorry if it's contradicting in any way

And now, without further adieu, Chapter 11 of In Love with Two!!

Recap of Chapter 10

_Ikuto actually smiled. He ruffled his chara's hair. "Ok, you win. But I'm still not going to Amu's tonight."_

_ "You….aren't? Why not?" Yoru looked confused._

_ "I just can't. I still don't know if she even likes me."_

_ "Well, you'll never know if you don't go over there and ask!!" Yoru said triumphantly._

_ "I'd know if she proved it, maybe." _

_ "Like how??"_

_ Ikuto shrugged. "Maybe she could come visit me for once. I don't know."_

_ "Okay….I'm going to sleep now, Ikuto. Night."_

_ "Good night, Yoru." _Even though it's the afternoon.

_ Yoru crept into his egg thinking,_ I've got to tell Miki about this. Tell her that Ikuto won't come…because Ikuto wants Amu to come to him… Can't forget…. _He drifted off to sleep._

_ Ikuto was quiet as he sat on the grass. _Amu……Do I mean anything to you anymore?

-----Chapter 11------

Amu breathed in slowly and fidgeted with her clothes. She was so nervous! She picked at her dinner. "Can I go? Please?" She wanted to see Ikuto. Badly.

Amu's mother peered at her daughter's plate, making sure she had eaten most, if not all of her vegetables, like all parents do. When she was satisfied that Amu had, she said, "Yes, dear."

"Thank you!" She jumped up and left the dining room so fast that a wind was created. She sighed as she threw herself onto her bed. "Ikuto…" she muttered.

"Don't worry! It'll be _fine_!" assured Ran. "He'll accept your apology and then sweep you off into his arms!"

"Sure," Amu sighed, unbelievingly.

"Of course it will, desu! If you two love each other, it'll work out," chirped Suu.

"But…I don't know if he still loves me!" Amu groaned. "And…I…."

"Don't know if you still love him?" interrupted Miki, speaking for the first time in a week, since the others had been basically ignoring her. The others jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Well…yes…" Amu said uneasily. She braced herself for a lecture. She wasn't disappointed.

"Open your _eyes_, Amu-chan!" snapped Miki. "You only think you like Tadase 'cause Ikuto stopped coming. He's not giving you the attention he used to. And Tadase is. Big deal. If that's your definition of love—attention—then you're never going to know what true love is." With that, Miki flounced into her egg and slammed it shut as only Miki could.

"Don't listen to her, Amu-chan," soothed Suu. "You're only in elementary school. You don't have to know what true love is right now. Anyway, it was Ikuto's fault."

"I…well…" Amu took in a shaky breath. "Whatever. I'm going to see him anyway."

A snort emitted from the closed blue shell. Everyone glared at it, but it was silent and unremorseful.

Eru interrupted the silence. "Good. Don't give up. You're the heroine!" Then she blinked and realized what she had just said. "What am I saying? Poor Utau-chan!"

Ran and Suu rolled their eyes, but didn't say anything.

Amu was quiet as she thought about what Miki said. She stepped outside onto her balcony, almost hesitant, and definitely wistful.

She remembered the first time she had met Ikuto, when she had jumped into the hole and landed on him. She smiled at the memory. Why _had_ he been sleeping there?

She remembered the aquarium (her "date" with Tadase), the amusement park that held so many special memories to him, the time he had appeared right on this very balcony, scaring her. _And it had been right after I'd taken a bath_, she recalled. _Pervert!_

"Amu-chan?"

She jumped, and looked up.

"Oh, Suu. What is it?" she asked, trying to calm down her racing heart. It was speeding due to both fear and the thought of Ikuto.

"Are you ready?"

"Oh. Yeah." Amu gazed at the night sky, then turned to Suu with a determined expression. "Absolutely."

Then a puzzled expression crossed her face as a question occurred to her, one she hadn't even thought about before.

"Hey…" She paused, trying to figure out a way to say this without sounding completely idiotic. She gave up after a moment and finally dared to come right out and say it.

"Does…anyone know where Ikuto actually lives?"

Panda: YES I realize that that is a lame place to end. Sorry. And sorry for the super short chapter!! Wahh…

Miki: You made me sound like such a brat! You have a lot of things to say sorry for!

Panda: Yes, yes, I'm sorry for that too.

Miki: sure…-leaves-

Panda: Oh well. See you guys next time! Please review (I accept all criticism, as long as you're honest). Love you all!!


	12. Chapter 12

Panda: Hello, everyone! I won't talk long. I'm just going to quickly fill you guys in on some stuff and then get on with the story! First of all, thank you all SO much for continuing to read my stories! I appreciate you guys so much!! Secondly, to everyone that requested a one-shot, I have them written out. I just haven't had the time to post them all on fanfiction. Sorry, sorry, sorry (I know you all get tired of me saying that! But I _am_ sorry). Third, I think I've said this before, but I haven't really been reading the last couple chapters of Shugo Chara and I haven't been watching the anime, so forgive me if any of this doesn't go along with either the manga or the anime.

Suu: Disclaimer: Manga Obsessed Panda doesn't own Shugo Chara.

Panda: Enjoy chapter 12 of In Love with Two!! Read, rant, review, whatever!! Just thanks for reading!!

**Recap**

"_Amu-chan?"_

_She jumped, and looked up._

"_Oh, Suu. What is it?" she asked, trying to calm down her racing heart. It was speeding due to both fear and the thought of Ikuto._

"_Are you ready?"_

"_Oh. Yeah." Amu gazed at the night sky, and then turned to Suu with a determined expression. "Absolutely."_

_Then a puzzled expression crossed her face as a question occurred to her, one she hadn't even thought about before._

"_Hey…" She paused, trying to figure out a way to say this without sounding completely idiotic. She gave up after a moment and finally dared to come right out and say it._

"_Does…anyone know where Ikuto actually lives?"_

Chapter 12

Ran and Suu both shook their heads. Eru smirked. "Utau-chan's been to his apartment before," she announced smugly.

"So…are you going to tell us or not?" Ran asked.

"Nope!" Eru said, proudly. "My loyalty is with Utau-chan."

"She _left_ you, Eru," Suu pointed out softly. "She traded you for Dia. She betrayed her true self."

Eru deflated slightly. "That's true. But she's really is a good girl on the inside. She's just…scared." She covered her mouth. _Oops_.

"Utau? Scared?" Ran asked disbelievingly.

"You don't know her," Eru insisted. She thought, _You don't see her crying herself to sleep, can't tell when she's punishing herself when she messes up. You don't hear Yukari always pressuring her to do better. You don't _know_ her._

"You're right." Miki's soft voice startled the angelic chibi. "But I'm guessing she's like Amu-chan in a way, right?"

Eru nodded hesitantly. "Utau-chan…She's done terrible things, but it wasn't for her own gain. She did them out of what she believed in…and also what she regrets doing. She is a lost butterfly."

"You know, Eru, maybe we could help Utau. Possibly. But we need to talk to Ikuto first."

"Why?"

"He's her brother. He knows the most about her." Miki paused. "We can only help," she said, choosing her words carefully, "if you tell us where he lives."

Eru was quiet for a minute. "Fine. I'll show you the way." She flew back into Amu's room to get her knapsack. Meanwhile, outside, the others stared at Miki in a mixture of surprise and awe.

"Thanks," murmured Amu.

"I'm still mad at you," replied Miki shortly. Then she softened. "But maybe I was too hard on you. You don't need to know what true love is yet. So…" she sighed. "Convincing Eru is my apology to you. Don't mess up this chance."

Eru came back outside. "Ready?" she chirped. She looked incredibly chipper, especially considering the last conversation.

Amu nodded. "Ran! Character change!" Her usual X-clip was replaced with a cheerful red heart. "Show us the way, Eru." She leaped off her balcony and soared into the night.

Ikuto was lying on his bed, too awake to go to sleep. His ears perked up at a sound. He hissed, "Who's there?" _If it's one of those _stupid_ Easter employees, I'll…_ The door creaked open. It was Utau. "What do you want, Utau?" He closed his eyes.

"Ikuto…" She hovered by the doorway. "I wanted to say I'm…I'm…" she looked away. She'd gotten what she wanted. Ikuto and Amu were fighting. So why did she feel so guilty?

"You're…?" he gently prodded her.

Her eyes hardened. "Never mind." She turned around abruptly, hair swishing, and coldly closed the door behind her.

He sighed. As annoyed as he was at Utau, she was still his sister. And he didn't like seeing her like this: Caged. Lost. Angry at the world, furious at herself. He was then startled by another sound. Yoru looked up, his eyes alight.

"Yoru, what is it?" he whispered, crouched in a defensive position.

"Someone with charas."

Ikuto felt his dying ember of hope ignite. But he quickly doused it. There was no way.

Then a pink headed girl tapped on his window. "Ikuto?"

"Amu?"

_He looks surprised. Shocked, actually_, she thought, stifling a giggle. "Ikuto!" she stumbled through the open window.

"You clumsy fool," he said affectionately. Then he caught himself. He drained his voice of emotion as he said, "So, why are you here?"

Her face fell. "I came to say I'm-" She stopped abruptly.

He blinked. It was like a déjà vu. "You're…" he repeated, forgetting what Utau had done when he'd said that. He cringed, waiting for her to jump out the window.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out. "I didn't mean it! I'm so sorry. It was unfair of me to say that stuff. I'm-" "Sorry?" he put in, amused. She nodded, blushing. "I'm beginning to sense a pattern here."

She laughed nervously. "Do you…would you forgive me?"

"I forgive you. But," he said soberly, "maybe we do need to put our relationship on hold."

"Why?!"

"Just until we get some things sorted out."

She stared at him in disbelief. "Like…what?"

"Like how you feel about Kiddy King, maybe?" A corner of his mouth lifted into a wry smile.

She turned red. "You…heard?" He nodded. She looked down. "Well…ok. That makes sense then."

"Just so you know, Amu…" She turned and looked into his intense violet gaze. "I'll wait for you." His expression was gentle and sad as they stared at each other.

"Thank you." She dipped her head respectfully. It made her love (if that was what she really felt for Ikuto) him even more. But was it enough to dispel feelings for Tadase?

Panda: Yay! Another chapter done! Short again, but since when have I put up long chapters? Reviews make me feel loved!! Thank you for reading again, and stay tuned for more stories coming to your local…website. LOL anyway, seriously, thank you thank you thank you!!! I appreciate all of you! Tell me what you thought of this chapter, please. It had some more serious stuff in it, and we're starting to see another side of Utau…which makes me super happy because she's one of my favorite characters. I'm guessing the next chappie will have a lot about her in it, but we'll see!


	13. Chapter 13

Panda: Oh my gosh, it's been so long! I guess that's my fault, huh? I'm so sorry. I can't promise any regular updates because I'm really busy, but hopefully I'll start updating more than just twice a year.

Miki: Again, they don't want apologies. They want to read the story!

Panda: Right. Um…

Ran: Disclaimer: Manga Obsessed Panda does not own Shugo Chara, nor has she been watching the anime, AND she hasn't read the last chapter of _Shugo Chara Encore_. So no one tell her what happens.

Panda: That was a little too much information, Ran. Anyway, please read and review/rant. Thanks so much for even reading this! I love you all, and I'm forever grateful to you guys for sticking with a lazy author for so long.

Su: And now for chapter 13 of In Love with Two

**Recap**

"_Just so you know, Amu…" She turned and looked into his intense violet gaze. "I'll wait for you." His expression was gentle and sad as they stared at each other._

"_Thank you." She dipped her head respectfully. It made her love (if that's what she really felt for Ikuto) him even more. But was it enough to dispel feelings for Tadase?_

Chapter 13

Eru, being the chara with extremely bad timing that she is, interrupted the emotional silence. "Amu-chan. What about Utau-chan?" she asked in a persistent tone, one that should obviously not be ignored.

Amu looked away from Ikuto. "Right. I was um…just getting to that."

"What _about_ Utau?" Ikuto echoed, a wrinkle etched across his brow.

"We're um, well…Eru ought to explain it." Amu tripped over her words, head spinning from the conversation with Ikuto.

Eru sighed. "_You're_ the heroine," she pointed out. "Anyway, I-we're-worried about Utau-chan."

"Why? She's a big girl. She can take care of herself," Ikuto deadpanned.

Eru scowled. "This is serious. She needs help. She's barreling down a path of self-destruction."

"Isn't that a bit melodramatic?" Ikuto teased, but the slight frown on his face told Amu that he knew Utau was in trouble too.

"She's been corrupted or something," Amu put in. "I don't know if it's the X-eggs' power or what."

"I think it's partly that," Ikuto agreed, "but also, she's a very stubborn person. Once she chooses to go down a path, it doesn't matter if she's right or wrong. She'll stick with it."

Eru nodded vehemently. "Iru is no help, either! Charas should help their owners become their true selves. Utau-chan's not meant to do things like what she's doing now. It's that diamond egg."

Amu glared at Eru. "It's NOT Dia's fault."

Eru and Amu had a staring contest before Eru gave in. "All right. It's not the diamond egg. She was doing bad things before she got that egg."

"And how do propose to stop her?" asked Ikuto, raising an eyebrow. "Seems to me like nothing will work."

"We don't know," Amu said in frustration. "That's why we came to visit you. To see if you had any ideas. Well," she amended, "one of the reasons, anyway."

"Ah." Ikuto murmured.

"What's this 'ah'?" Eru asked. "You have an idea."

"Nope."

Eru let out a huff of air. "None? At all?"

"I'm not really sure what you're trying to do," Ikuto admitted.

"Neither am I," muttered Amu.

"What do you mean?" Eru looked agitated, which is pretty funny if you think about it. Let's not think about it.

"Well, are we trying to, like, save Utau from her destructive path? If so, are we just going to take Amu's egg back from her? Or maybe we want her completely out of this business, and in that case, we have to cut her ties to Easter completely, which isn't going to bode well with Sanjou-san."

"I just want _Utau-chan_ back. The _real_ Utau-chan. She changed. She used to love singing, love making people smile when she sang. Now all she cares about is finding the Embryo. She doesn't care about people smiling. She doesn't even care if she crushes their dreams."

"Can anyone truly bring Utau back but herself?" Ikuto asked.

Eru looked sad. "No. I know that."

"But that's not to say that you can't give her a nudge in the right direction," put in Su, who had been quietly listening to conversation.

"True. But we still don't have a way to do that," Amu pointed out. "And who knows if she even wants to go back to her old self?"

"Were _you_ happy being someone other than your true self, Amu-chan?" Ran asked. "I think we all know the answer to that. Or else Miki, Su, Dia and I wouldn't exist."

"True. But I'm not Utau. She's much more…determined and aggressive for one thing. She reaches for her dreams."

"You do too," Ikuto said quietly. "You wanted to change. Your charas are proof of that. And you succeeded. You and my sister are very similar. You are also determined, but in a different way. You don't immediately go for it. You think it over and figure out the best way to approach the situation."

"I…I never thought of it like that," Amu faltered. "Well… I hated being the "Cool-and-Spicy kid". That label suffocated me."

"And that," Ikuto said with a bittersweet smile, "is probably how Utau feels right now."

Panda: Another short chappie…I'm so sorry! Thanks for reading this and again, please review!

Ikuto: What kind of ending is that?

Amu: Seriously.

Panda: Be quiet! I'm supposed to be doing homework.

Ikuto: What a bad influence you are.

Panda: And I'm done with this conversation. Now. Thanks again!


	14. Chapter 14

Panda: It's been a long time. Like, a year. **Over **a year. I'm such a horrible person.

Miki: We've missed this place...

Panda: So I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry for not updating. I won't start about school-

Ran: Good.

Panda: -but I would also like to mention that since Shugo Chara has pretty much ended (excluding Shugo Chara-chan, which is really cute so you should read it if you don't want the SC magic to end!) it's been getting harder for me to write stuff. And I've started reading Bleach, which I really like even if it's pretty much the polar opposite of Shugo Chara, genre-wise. Anyways, so I've been focusing a lot of my creative energy toward that and other writings, so...

Suu: So she wants to say this. _Disclaimer: Manga Obsessed Panda does not own Shugo Chara in any way, shape, or form. She wishes, though._ And now she wants to get on with the story.

Panda: Yeah, what she said. So anyways, please read and review!

**Recap**

_"I…I never thought of it like that," Amu faltered. "Well… I hated being the "Cool-and-Spicy kid". That label suffocated me."_

_"And that," Ikuto said with a bittersweet smile, "is probably how Utau feels right now."_

Chapter 14~

Amu was silent, lost in thought. She had never hated Utau. Something about Utau had made Amu's heart soften toward the singer, despite the acts that Utau had committed against her. And now, hearing Ikuto say that, she realized why. "We're the same?"

"To an extent," Ikuto replied. He still watched her with semi-cautious eyes but relaxed slightly when they began to talk about Utau. "She has...issues."

"Doesn't everyone?" Amu giggled.

He smiled. "Yeah. But she has issues with herself-well, anyone with a chara does, but hers go far beyond the normal-which makes her...somewhat difficult to deal with."

"Eh?"

"He means that Utau-chan won't listen to anyone who tries to help her," Eru explained. "She does not believe in herself but she won't rely on anyone else."

"Sounds complicated," Ran murmured.

"And a little contradictory," Suu added.

"That's Utau." Ikuto sighed. "You had to have guessed it, though?"

"Huh?" Amu looked confused. Ikuto glanced at Eru then back up at the pink haired girl. After a couple seconds of tilting her head in bewilderment, Amu's eyes lit up. "Oh, I get it! Because of her guardian characters: an angel and a devil." _Although Eru's not really much of an angel_, she thought.

"Exactly." He smiled at her and her heart sped up a little. "You too."

"Me?"

"Mm. Think about your characters." He gestured to the pink and green charas. "Not exactly opposites but-"

"Not exactly the same either," she finished his sentence. She sat down on the ground. "I see." She sighed.

"What are you thinking?" Ikuto asked, sitting beside her.

He was so close that she could feel his body heat emanate from him and she almost lost her train of thought. "I...uh..." She closed her eyes then opened them. "Oh yeah!"

"Yes?" Ikuto waited for her to answer.

"Um...I forgot," she said with a sheepish smile. "Oh!" Her eyes lit up. "No wait, I remember!"

"For real, this time?" he smirked.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Yes. I was going to say that I wonder if I would have ended up like Utau."

"Depends. Can you sing?" he asked with a straight face.

"That's not what I mea-" she started to argue, until she saw his face crinkle with laughter. "You meanie!" She pouted.

_And you complain when I call you a kid?_ Ikuto thought with a half smile. "I'm not mean," he defended himself.

She glared at him, then shook her head. "What was I talking about?"

"Singing?" he suggested innocently. He raised his hands in defense as Amu started to rage. "Kidding!"

"Amu-chan!" Eru was clearly not in the mood to watch the Amuto scene. She was anxious to discuss Utau. "You were talking about Utau and being similar to her."

Amu and Ikuto exchanged glances. "Right. Thanks Eru," Amu replied. "Do you think it would have happened?"

Ikuto's violet eyes hardened slightly. "Circumstances change people," he answered simply.

She searched his expression briefly. She decided not to push it. "Okay. But do you know of anything we can," she stifled a yawn, "do?"

He gave her a soft grin. "I know that you should probably be asleep right now, so advise you to go home."

"But-!" she protested.

"But good ideas come from a well-rested mind," he smirked. "If you want to save Utau, you're going to need to be wide awake to do so, Amu."

Her lips twitched upwards when he said her name. "Okay," she acquiesced reluctantly. "I'll try and think of something."

"Me too." He stood up and she missed the warmth immediately. "Come on." He held out his hand and helped her stand up.

"Bye, Ikuto." She lingered by the window as her charas (plus Eru) flew up to her side, Ran preparing to chara change.

"Tell Miki I say hi, nya," Yoru reminded them.

"We will," the two assured him.

"Bye, Amu." He crossed the room and gently touched the side of her face. "Thank you for coming by."

Amu blushed. "Um...it was...no problem," she mumbled.

Ikuto chuckled. "Good night."

"Good night," she echoed. With one last look at his room (and him), Amu hopped out the window and into the night.

She soared through the sky, her heart lighter than it had ever been before. "Ahh I'm so glad I went!" she exulted as she hopped over rooftops.

"We've got to tell Miki this," Ran giggled.

"She'll be so happy, desu!" Suu agreed.

"Not as happy as I am," Amu sighed with contentment.

"The main character is happy," muttered Eru. "All is well."

"Well..." Amu hesitated. "Not _all_." She could think of a list about a mile long that was still wrong with everything. After all there was Tadase. And Utau. And then not to mention her schoolwork and Guardian duties... "ARGH!"

"Eru!" Suu scolded. "Let Amu-chan be happy!"

"The main character's happiness is short-lived," Eru continued, scribbling the words onto the little notebook she always seemed to have, "when she realizes that only one of many problems have been solved." Just then, the book was jerked from Eru's hands. "Hey!"

"I'll give it back when we get home," Ran told her, holding the notebook hostage.

Amu barely heard her charas arguing. Even though what Eru said was true, she still felt content inside. Ikuto wasn't mad at her anymore. She was almost positive that the only reason she felt happy was because of that resolved issue. _I think...I think I just might..._ She shook her head. _The moment I think I might be in love with someone, I end up hurting them_, she reminded herself.

"Amu-chan!" "Amu-chan!" "AMU-CHAN, WATCH OUT!"

"What?" She reentered reality just as she skidded into the balcony door. There was a loud "Ow!"

"We warned you," Ran sighed, shaking her head. "It's a miracle it didn't break." She knocked on the glass. A minute later, Miki opened the door carefully. "What took you so long?"

"I fell asleep," she yawned. "But that huge crash woke me up. What _was_ that?"

Amu glared at the three charas who were laughing hysterically. "Shut up!" she said, blushing. "I..uh...wasn't looking where I was going..."

Miki sleepily stared at the group. "So was it a success or a failure?"

"Success," they all chorused, except for Eru who said, "Failure!"

"I see..." Miki rubbed her eyes. "Can you guys wait til morning to tell me about it? I'm really" yawn "tired."

"But but but.." Ran said, pouting. "I want to tell you NOW. Oh, and Yoru says hi."

"Thanks. Hi back to Yoru." Miki's face softened into a smile. "As happy as I am that the majority of you guys had a good trip, I'd like to point out that Amu-chan still has school tomorrow."

"EH?" Amu's mouth dropped. "Oh no! That's right! Okay, I've got to get to bed NOW."

The charas sweat dropped as they watched Amu speed around the room. "She's moving so fast she's a blur, desu," Suu commented.

"The heroine moves inhumanly fast when she is panicking," Eru mumbled as she wrote in the notebook she had stolen back from Ran the minute Amu had crashed into the door.

"Good night!" Amu finished changing and brushing her teeth and she threw herself onto her bed.

"..." The room was almost silent as Amu tried to fall asleep. But her heart was racing too quickly and too much adrenaline pumped through her veins for her mind to rest...and the sound of her charas trying to stifle snickers was just a _little _distracting.

"I can _hear _you," she said irritably.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" they all burst out laughing. The dam that had held back the pent up energy and excitement broke. They could not stop giggling.

"Amu-chan, you should've seen your face when you hit the door," Ran gasped.

"Or as you were getting ready for bed," Miki, who appeared to be almost wide awake, added. She imitated the wild, panicked look that Amu had worn.

"The main character has a natural affinity for being strange," the angelic chara pronounced, also barely concealing a smile.

"Just be quiet and go to bed!" Amu snapped, sitting straight up in her bed as red flooding her cheeks.

"Now, now, Amu-chan, don't go to sleep angry, desu," Suu soothed.

Amu pouted as she settled back under her covers. "You guys are so mean," she muttered sulkily, listening to the guardian characters' chuckles continue.

"Ahhh now she's in a bad mood," Ran commented cheerily.

A mischievous smile appeared on Miki's face. "I bet I can make her smile." Ran snorted her disbelief. "Hey, Amu-chan?"

"Yes?" Amu asked warily.

"Good night. Sweet dreams...about Ikuto," Miki said sweetly.

Amu blushed again. "Th-that..." she protested. Then she relented, smiling a little shyly as she pulled her blankets up to her chin. "I will," she murmured as she rested her head on the soft pillow. "Good night everyone."

"Good night!" the characters chirped in unison right before sleep overtook Amu.

Random Add-on which has nothing to do with the story but is funny anyway:

"Okay, hand it over," Miki whispered as Amu's and Eru's light snores filled the room.

"Urgh..." Ran groaned, pushing over a small cluster of rice crackers and cookies. "I can't believe you got that."

"Hey, you're the one that bet on it," Miki smirked triumphantly, grabbing the snacks and sticking them into her eggshell.

Suu shook her head. "You shouldn't have bet her three days' worth of snacks, desu," she reprimanded disapprovingly.

"I didn't think she'd be able to make Amu-chan smile with _that_ cheesy line!" Ran protested.

"Now what am I supposed to eat?" Ran complained.

"It's your fault," Miki pointed out cheerily, climbing back into her egg. "Good night!" The blue egg shut.

"Good night," Suu yawned, shutting her own egg.

Ran stared at the spade and clover eggs. Then, her stomach growled. "My midnight snacks..." she whimpered, as she closed her egg around her.

* * *

Panda: YAY FOR FINISHING ANOTHER CHAPTER (ignoring the fact that it's a year after the last chapter was posted). Thank you so much for reading! Please review! Feedback is very much appreciated. (: I love you all!


	15. Chapter 15

Panda: Hey, it's been less than a year! It's been..a little over half of one! (Well, it was at the time that I started writing this chapter. Literally, I've been trying to write it since August.)  
Miki: -rolls eyes- Because that's so much better.  
Panda: Yes, I know. You know what else I know? That you guys don't really read this part and you really only want to read the next part of the story. So here is yet another apology and-  
Ran: -without further adieu, here is the next chapter of In Love With Two!  
Suu: Actually, first, she has to say this: **Disclaimer: Manga Obsessed Panda does not own Shugo Chara.**  
Ran: ...Oops.  
Panda: Enjoy! :D

_Recap_

_A mischievous smile appeared on Miki's face. "I bet I can make her smile." Ran snorted her disbelief. "Hey, Amu-chan?"_

"_Yes?" Amu asked warily._

"_Good night. Sweet dreams...about Ikuto," Miki said sweetly._

_Amu blushed again. "Th-that..." she protested. Then she relented, smiling a little shyly as she pulled her blankets up to her chin. "I will," she murmured as she rested her head on the soft pillow. "Good night everyone."_

"_Good night!" the characters chirped in unison right before sleep overtook Amu._

Chapter 15

"Good morning, Amu-chii!"

"Oh!" Amu was startled out of her daydreaming. "Morning, Yaya."

"Don't forget about our meeting today!"

"I won't!" Amu assured.

"Amu-chan, you're spacey today," Miki observed.

"And your cheeks are permanently pink," Ran added, smiling mischievously.

"Too much sun? Or maybe you're blushing because you're thinking about someone?" Suu teased.

"You guys!" Amu complained, cheeks turning even pinker. The charas just giggled, receding back into their eggs as Amu entered her classroom. She greeted a few of her classmates casually, then sat down at her desk. Once her face was hidden, she couldn't stop a smile.

Eru was the first to peek her head out of her egg."The heroine distances herself, so that alone, she can think about the one she loves," Eru muttered, scribbling in her notebook. For once, the other charas didn't appear irritated with the angel's ramblings. They wholeheartedly agreed and even gave Eru ideas on what to add to her observations.

"Don't forget to add 'doesn't pay attention to anything,'" Ran suggested.

"And 'daydreams,'" Suu added.

"And-"

"Enough!" Amu hissed. A couple of nearby peers glanced at her curiously and Amu gave them a cool eyebrow raise in response, as if to say _What are you looking at?_

"But we're happy for you, Amu-chan," said Miki, after the classmates had turned back to their own conversations. "When you're happy, we're happy."

Amu smiled slightly. "Thanks. Could you be happy for me in a less distracting way, though?"

The charas giggled. "Whatever you say, Amu-chan," Ran replied.

"But don't keep your head in the clouds all day, desu. You have a quiz and a meeting today," reminded Suu. "If you keep spacing out, you will forget."

Amu nodded. "Okay. I'll be careful," she promised. She noticed class starting. "Go back in your eggs!" The charas quickly obeyed her.

"Think she'll forget?" Ran whispered to the other charas as the teacher began to lecture.

"I bet she will," Miki replied.

"Oh no. I'm not betting with _you _anymore." Ran shuddered. "My snacks..."

"I think she'll forget," Suu agreed.

"Me too," Eru began to say. But she was cut off by Amu oh-so-subtly closing the box that the eggs were in. The charas were plunged into darkness. Amu  
ignored their squeals of protest and aimed her attention back to the teacher.

"Now she'll definitely forget," Ran murmured.

The other charas muttered their agreement and giggled until Amu tapped the top of the box with enough force to make the container shake. Eggs rolling around in the dark, the charas decided to stay quiet.

Amu stood up and stretched. It had been a long day. The quiz had been so difficult and to top it off, she'd had to read-in English!- in front of everyone. In addition, she had left Ran in the box so when it came time for P.E...let's just say she didn't do so well.

A yawn escaped her lips. _I'm so tired..._ She grabbed her bag and started for the door. _I need a nap. Yeah, a nap sounds good..._ she thought to herself as she walked out into the warm sunlight. _Let's get home as fast as possible..._ She ambled a few blocks before she noticed the distinct lack of chattering voices around her head. _Some might say that's a sign of recovery..._ she mused before undoing the clasp on her box. Four charas tumbled out, overdramatically gasping from lack of oxygen.

"Sheesh, you guys are such drama queens." Amu laughed.

"And _you_ are forgetful," Miki said.

"What?" Amu stopped in her tracks.

"Meeting today," Ran replied. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh no!" Amu sped back toward school.

While she ran, she could hear snatches of her charas' conversation as they tried to keep up with her. "Too bad no one bet on it," Miki said.

"We all knew it would happen, though," Suu giggled. Amu turned to glare at them and saw Eru bobbing her little head in agreement.

"You are-" Amu began to threaten.

"Amu-chan! Watch out!" all the charas screamed. Amu jerked her head back just in time to swerve out of the way of a pole.

"I need a Guardian Character that will make me less of a space cadet," she groaned as she slowed her pace down. Then she bit her lip, knowing what they were all thinking. _Maybe Diamond would have done that. _After all, they had only ever met Dia in her X-egg form. Who knew what her original personality was like? Amu let out a sigh.

"We'll get her back, Amu-chan," Suu said softly.

"But first, you have to get to your meeting!" Ran chirped.

"Right." Amu walked quickly to the garden. Everyone looked up as she entered.

"Amu-chii! I reminded you! HOW COULD YOU FORGET?"

"Amu...You're late."

"Hinamori-san!"

"Joker." Kairi pushed up his glasses from his nose, shaking his head disapprovingly. "You are fourteen minutes and forty-three seconds late for the meeting."

"Sorry..." Amu sat down at her usual seat, rather embarrassed. She somewhat meekly listened to the discussion continued. She responded (a bit distractedly) when asked a direct question, but for the most part, she just listened.

She tried not to daydream, but it was difficult. She wanted to remain lost in her own thoughts for a little while longer, in her own world where there were no X-eggs, not enemies, no Embryo, no Easter. Where barriers disappeared and she could be with-

"Amu." A small hand touched her arm. "The meeting's over."

"Oh! Rima. I..."

The petite Queen glanced at her. "You've spaced out all day, haven't you."

"Yeah..." Amu laughed weakly. Rima started to say something else, but she was interrupted.

"Hinamori-san!"

"Tadase-kun." Amu offered him a smile. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could accompany me to the store? We need to buy some supplies for the Guardians."

"Er..." She hesitated. She still felt a little mixed up inside when it came to Tadase. _But Ikuto..._ "Sorry, Tadase-kun. I have a lot of homework to do."

"Oh." Tadase's face fell. "Well, good luck with that."

"Thanks. I'll see you guys later, okay? And sorry again about being late."

"It's no problem," Tadase told Amu as she stood up to leave.

"I'll walk with you." Rima got up gracefully and followed Amu out the door. "So, why were you late?" the blonde questioned.

"I forgot about it," Amu admitted. "It's been a long day."

Her friend was quiet for a moment. "What's distracting you?"

Amu didn't want to lie to Rima, to anyone, really. "Well..."

"Amu-chan!" A girl with violet hair was waiting outside the school.

"Nadeshiko?!" Amu hugged the visitor.

"I thought I would surprise you!"

"You did!"

After a few more moments of watching the pair squeal and shout, Rima tugged on Amu's arm. "Who's this?" she asked softly.

"Oh! Rima, this is Fujisaki Nadeshiko, the former queen. Nadeshiko, this is Mashiro Rima, the current queen," introduced Amu.

"Nice to meet you, Mashiro-san." Nadeshiko smiled at the small girl.

Rima eyed Nadeshiko suspiciously. "Nice to meet you too."

An awkward silence ensued. "Um, Rima, was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Amu finally asked.

Rima shook her head after a couple seconds of thought. "I'll see you later. I have to go to my parents."

"Okay. Bye.." Puzzled, Amu watched Rima run off.

"Well, Amu-chan. Shall I walk home with you?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not!" They started walking. "How are the Guardians?"

"Very different. But not in a bad way," replied Amu thoughtfully.

"You like the new members, I take it?"

"Yes. It's strange, though. I expect to see you and Kukai to appear at meetings, or bring up new strategies. The new members have a different...air to them, I guess." Amu exhaled. "It's definitely a change."

"Ah, but change isn't bad, is it, Amu-chan? After all, you're a Guardian because you wanted to change."

Amu glanced at her best friend, surprised. Then she slowly nodded. "Yeah. You're right."

"Hey, Eru?" Amu flopped on her bed and all the charas crawled out of their eggs. They floated by her head, looking at her intently.

"Yes?"

"What..." Amu paused. "What caused Utau...I mean, why were you and Iru born?"

A shadow passed over the blonde chara's face. "I don't really know," Eru admitted. "But Utau-chan has always been very extreme. She's either perfect or faulty. Strong or weak. Whole or broken. Angelic or demonic."

"I can see that," Amu said with a pensive look on her face. "She's passionate."

Eru bobbed her head in agreement. "Utau-chan isn't a _bad_ girl. She's just..."

"Sad?" Miki offered.

"Confused?" Suu suggested.

"Angry?" was Ran's contribution.

"No." Eru shook her head vehemently.

"Lost," Amu answered softly.

Eru looked at Amu, almost surprised. "Yes. Lost."

"Understandable." Amu rolled over to her side and curled her legs to her chest, thinking. "I'm going to help her, Eru. I promise. I just...I don't know how to, yet."

Amu cringed, waiting for Eru to freak out over the uncertainty of it all. The little chara had a reputation for being a little overdramatic, particularly when it came to Utau. But contrary to her normal eccentricity, Eru calmly replied, "I believe you."

"Do you miss her?" Miki suddenly asked.

"The old her. The real her." Eru shook her head. "But it's not so bad here." She smiled at Amu. "Thank you, Amu-chan."

"You're welcome." Amu drew in a quick breath. "I really did mean it, though. We're going to save Utau."

"I know." Eru floated in front of Amu's face. "You have the same kind of sparkle as Utau-chan. That's why you're the heroine and I believe you can help her."

"And _we'll _help _you_, Amu-chan!" Ran, Miki, and Suu chorused, joining Eru.

Amu grinned. "Thanks, you guys." She enveloped them in a hug, being careful not to squish them to death. "Now," she said, releasing them, "which one of you wants to help me with my homework?"

The charas all looked at each other. Faster than you could say "Shugo Chara", they were in their eggs, faking loud, obnoxious snores.

Amu laughed softly. "I can take a hint. Good night."

* * *

Panda: I just wanted to say that I've been writing this one fan fiction for years now and I am truly amazed that people continue to read it. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me thus far, to the people that are just beginning to read this fanfiction, to those who randomly find this fan fiction buried among others and decide to take a chance on it. Every time I get an email telling me someone has favorited my story or put an alert on me/my stories, I become so happy. You guys are incredible. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

**Thank you for reading! Please review! Reviews are love, even when they're flames. After all, you can always get better at writing, right? (:**


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